16/04/2025 09:15
George Russell has dismissed the notion he is bothered by not being
touted as an F1 drivers' championship protagonist. The British
driver has claimed three podium finishes to start the year and sits
fourth in the title fight, 14 points adrift of Lando Norris out
front. However, his name is often omitted from discussions about
which drivers' are ultimately in the running for this campaign's
crown, with Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen more regularly talked
up as contenders. When asked whether he felt he was not being
rightly taken into consideration, the three-time grand prix
winner's response underlined how unperturbed he is by being
overlooked. Insisting all he can do his perform to his limit,
Russell highlighted that Mercedes' lack of championship pedigree in
recent years makes it natural to not be included in such
conversations. "Ultimately, from my side, I'm just going in every
single weekend trying to perform to the maximum," he told media
including RacingNews365 . "These last three years as well,
alongside Lewis [Hamilton] – his name was always there with
championships because he's the GOAT [greatest of all time]. "But
the last three years, neither of our names were there because we
weren't in the position to fight. "Look, this season it's been a
great start to the year. I don't think we could have achieved a
better result than we expected, and I hope we can continue this
sort of run of consistency. But we know realistically the McLarens
are exceptionally strong, and I think it's going to be challenging
for anybody else to compete with them. "But, we saw last year how
dominant Red Bull were, and suddenly they weren't at the end of the
season. So yeah, things change quickly." Russell: 'I'm not looking
for external recognition' Having somewhat sidestepped the first
question on if he should be considered a championship challenger,
Russell was asked more directly whether he was annoyed about being
overlooked. Although, again, the Briton showed himself to be
unfazed by it, stressing that he does not need the "external
recognition" of being earmarked as a title fighter. "I mean, not
really, to be honest..." he replied. "I'm a Formula 1 driver living
my dream. It's not what the perception is - it's what the reality
is. The reality is if we're going to fight for a championship this
year, we need to improve. "This year has been a great start to the
season. But the same way the last three seasons have been, I feel
that I've personally performed very well. "I've had one of the
strongest teammates ever. I'm not looking for external recognition.
I'm just looking to go racing every single weekend, perform, and
doing my job."
