Of the young up and coming drivers in Formula 1, George Russell is Fernando Alonso’s pick to lead the next generation.
The Briton, who is also a Mercedes junior, repeated Charles Leclerc’s path to F1 by winning the F3 and F2 championships at the first try in consecutive seasons.
Unfortunately, since joining the grid at the start of last season, an uncompetitive Williams has limited Russell’s ability to show his potential, although he is yet to be beaten by a teammate in qualifying after 34 races.
Alonso knows all too well what it’s like to start at the back, after racing with Minardi in his first F1 season back in 2001.
And despite his generation set to feature names like Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and possibly even Mick Schumacher, it is Russell who has impressed the double world champion most.
“I think there are very talented drivers now in Formula 1,” Alonso, who returns to F1 with Renault next season, told Sky Sports at Imola.
“They all came with very nice preparation as well with driver academies that build the performance and the talent, helping them from a very young age. Now they are doing their job.
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“From all of them, George Russell is the one that surprises me every weekend. How he’s driving the Williams. Zero mistakes. I’m really surprised about his natural speed.
“So if I have to say one name, Russell for the future is going to be my pick.”
Of course, the “zero mistakes” comment came back to haunt the 22-year-old on Sunday when he crashed behind the Safety Car while running P10.
But George has since had an outpouring of support from rivals and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is confident the moment will actually become a positive in the future.
“That is all part of the development process,” the Austrian said. “What makes Lewis [Hamilton] and Valtteri [Bottas] so special, and before Nico [Rosberg], was the experience they gained.
“I think everybody needs to put a car in the wall behind the safety car. We’ve seen that from the most experienced ones and making mistakes under pressure.
“And I think what George has done today, happened to the best ones. It feels awful for him right now, but it’s going to sink in, be like a scar, and he’s going to be a better driver in the future.”
RaceFans reported Russell sent a letter to his Williams team after the race apologising for the mistake which he said cost them their first points of 2020.
However: “We go racing to push the boundaries. It will result in massive disappointment here and there, but the second we lift the foot off the throttle and start operating at 95%, we may as well stay home,” he added.
“We all know that we have a car that needs to be pushed to the edge, and sometimes beyond, to fight for points at the moment.
“I can feel that we’re getting there, slowly but surely.
“No doubt when it comes, it won’t stop and we’ll be on a roll. The future is bright for the team.”
