Commentator and motorsport journalist Will Buxton has been critical of George Russell. According to Buxton, the British Mercedes driver shows a certain arrogance now that he is losing ground to teammate Kimi Antonelli, who has now built up a twenty-point lead in the standings. He referred to earlier statements by Russell, who said that if he had come to Formula 1 earlier, he might have already won multiple world titles.
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Russell was considered one of the big favorites before the season, but Antonelli is currently stealing the show at Mercedes. With wins in China, Japan, and Miami, the Italian is breaking records and leading the championship. In the Up To Speed podcast, Buxton stated that he notices Russell getting frustrated by the rise of his young teammate. “I saw an interview today where he said something like: ‘If I had come to Formula 1 five years earlier, I probably would have already won a few championships by now.’”
‘Don’t like arrogance’
According to Buxton, that statement says a lot about Russell’s mental state. “I fear he has a bit of the feeling that he is entitled to the championship; as if he thinks it naturally belongs to him. There is frustration in him, the feeling that he should have been champion a long time ago. That’s a bit awkward,” the British commentator admitted.
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Buxton also questioned the notion that Russell could have won a title during the dominant Mercedes years. “I think he means the glory years of Mercedes in the last decade,” he explained. “When he was teammates with Lewis (Hamilton, ed.), he did beat him. But during that period, he could never have secured a seat at the team; in their heyday, Hamilton and Rosberg were unbeatable. So I don’t know where he gets those titles from – I don’t like that kind of arrogance. ‘If I had been here five years earlier, I would be a two-time world champion by now, right?’ I don’t think so.”
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