Lando Norris and George Russell discuss about the improvements they have made in their F1 journey so far and racing against each other.
For both Norris and Russell, it’s been a mesmerising season thus far. For the latter, it has been a tough time these last three years as Williams as a front runner have lost their way somewhat over the last number of seasons.
Bit by bit, this season has seen him and Williams take some step finally. For they have got points in four out of the last five races – including a podium. For next year of course, Russell has signed for Mercedes and with this drive, he can only add to his success thus far.
The future for Russell looks bright and he is certainly feeling confident with the results in the few races – not just for him but for the young crop of drivers too. “I guess we’ve both been fortunate that we sort of grew up together and were in the same bunch of guys racing, the same bunch of guys throughout our careers,” he said.
“And obviously Lando, Alex and I were battling in the Formula 2 championship together and I think we just push each other and you feel like that is the norm, that sort of level, and I guess for us both, just the experience every race, talking for myself, anyway, you just feel like you’re getting stronger and stronger. You always feel like you do a good job but you look back and you feel like the following event you’re doing a better job.
“So, I guess in time it’s always experience, learning from those mistakes and sort of building that toolbox of experience to dig into and pull the right tools out when you need to in these tricky circumstances,” summed up Russell. Looking at Norris, he had some good results last season and then continued this season with a tremendous run of consistency in the McLaren where at the time his more experienced teammate Daniel Ricciardo was not really cutting the mustard at the time.
It’s a different ball game now for both McLaren drivers now as the two are at the sharp end more regularly. For Norris, the last couple have been brilliant (Monza) and heartbreaking (Sochi), but surely there will be a win sometime soon. His stock is rising and the McLaren is in a battle for third in the constructors’ with Ferrari.
“George said that very well,” started Norris in a lighter note. “His vocabulary is much better than mine, so his use of words was much better, but he’s right. I think we’re at the point where we have a lot of confidence because of some of these results coming along the way and they definitely help a lot going into every weekend, analysing what you could have done better.
“Because there’s always times when you think what could I have done even better than before, even if you’ve done a good job, and like George said, especially for him, at times like this he can show what he can do and I can show what I can do, even when you don’t necessarily have the quickest car on the grid, so it’s a good feeling and a lot of relief,” summed up Norris.
There is no doubt that the experience these two drivers have picked up since their debuts in 2019 has stood them in tremendous stead for what lies ahead in 2022 with new rules coming into effect. Bit by bit, race by race, weekend by weekend has seen Norris and Russell perform admirably.
It’s not just the experience, it’s the confidence in doing what they do and this goes hand in hand with the results they are achieving. Norris is in the better car this season but the Williams has also been improving in Russell’s capable hands.
The story is written by Neil Farrell
Here’s Lando Norris on his mental health issues
Here’s Williams on car factor
