George Russell is showing he’s got what it takes to take Formula 1 by storm - now he needs the car.
The Mercedes ace has been catapulted into the seat vacated by Valterri Bottas and, according to David Coulthard, has "a brilliant all-round package". So far, finishes of fourth and fifth in Bahrain and Jeddah respectively have not set the world alight but the Scot believes that Russell is doing enough to justify both the expectation and they hype.
Coulthard said: “I’ve been super-impressed - George has performed in line with my expectations. For me, he’s a brilliant all-round package.
“He has speed, he has excellent communication skills. He’s a modern version of a top professional racing driver. I thought that before the season started and I’ve seen nothing since to change my mind. He was brilliant with Williams. It led to him being courted by Mercedes as everyone knows. But the honeymoon period where you can do no wrong changes quickly, particularly when there’s an expectation that - given the car you are driving - you should be in the top three.
“What’s actually happened is that Ferrari and Red Bull have come flying out of the blocks and there are some who might judge that George’s first couple of races have not been up to standard. I wouldn’t agree with that. I think he’s handled the car and the situation well. You can only drive the car you’ve been given. His next job will be, along with Lewis Hamilton, is to be the voice that enables his Mercedes team to develop a winning car.”
Coulthard says that the emergence of Russell - and fellow Brit Lando Norris for McLaren - has given the sport the jolt it needs. He added: “Honestly, I’ve loved to see what George is bringing. First, because he’s British. And secondly, because he’s bright-eyed, enthusiastic and an excellent communicator. It’s a gift to be a professional sportsperson. He's embracing it - and I think it’s inspirational.
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“I’ve got a 13-year-old son and I want him to look up to the likes of George and Lando and they’ve been a breath of fresh air. There have been periods where it’s a bit staid - but you cannot say that about Formula 1 at the moment - and a lot of that is down to the excitement those two are generating.”
Russell said last month he and Hamilton are treated as equals at Mercedes and he is keen to follow in his team-mates footsteps. Russell told the BBC: "I think because we are at very different stages of our careers there is a really strong mutual respect between us. We both recognise our fight isn't with each other as it may be in some other teams. We are on a level playing field. There are no team orders, we have equal treatment totally and they [Mercedes] trust us to go out there and race fairly."
David Coulthard will be presenting F1 highlights of the Australia GP from 3.05pm on Channel 4 next Sunday, following live coverage of Formula E from Rome at 1.30pm.
