George Russell has revealed the extraordinary lengths his father went to early in his motorsport career to help him improve.
The Mercedes driver has penned a personal essay in The Players' Tribune to chronicle his rise from karting through the junior formulae to F1, where he has become a five-time grand prix winner.
It is a broad and encompassing account of Russell's journey up the motorsport ladder in his own words, centred on his relationship with his father, before turning to the influence of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and his thoughts on former team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
To open the essay, Russell shares how his father would purposely mis-time practice laps in his kart to make the now-27-year-old think he was "just a bit slower" than he actually was.
He described the stopwatch his father used as his path to F1 in "one single image", and explained it was like his "mortal enemy" during that period of his life.
The British driver, who has just signed a contract extension with the eight-time constructors' champions, has been one of the stand-out performers in F1 this season.
Check out the opening passage to George Russell's personal essay in The Players' Tribune below!
Excerpt from George Russell's personal essay in The Players' Tribune
The stopwatch.
That's pretty much this whole racing journey to F1, in one single image.
That bloody '80s stopwatch.
When I started racing as a young kid, we didn't have any fancy data screens that would tell you the lap times like they do now. So my father had this stopwatch he would use to time me in practice in the karts.
I'd drive as fast as I could. I think it was fear that was pushing me. I wasn't afraid of the kart, or the speed, or the track. No. I was afraid of that stopwatch. That stopwatch was like my mortal enemy. It was like no matter how much I stayed in control, my back against the seat, perfect grip, squeezing on the pedal going into the corner and easing off at the right time, no skid, no deceleration, just straight momentum through the lap… I'd look up at my dad and know. I'd know.
"How'd I do?"
"Nope. Not competitive. Do it again."
Cold as ice. At first, going into race weekends, I seriously didn't believe I could win. I thought, Surely I'm not the quickest out here. But then something strange would happen…. I'd go and win the races.
I was confused more than anything. On Thursday with my dad, I thought I was mediocre. By Saturday, I was holding a trophy.
There was a three-year period where I won almost everything I could possibly win.
Next day with my dad. Click.
"Nope. Do it again."
It took me probably six years to realise what was happening. Then I finally figured it out: My dad was purposefully clicking the stopwatch late. He was adding seconds to my time. He wanted me to always think I was just a bit slower than I was.
Even when I was winning everything, I could always push myself further. Always a little further.
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