Williams rookie George Russell believes the low expectations placed upon the struggling Formula 1 team will be of benefit, joking that critics are anticipating “the wheels will fall off” its car.
Williams finished at the foot of last year’s Constructors’ Championship amid a season-long struggle with its recalcitrant FW41.
The introduction of Williams’ FW42 was three days late and when it ran during pre-season testing it was off the pace, with Russell and team-mate Robert Kubica at the foot of the timesheets.
Williams announced during the build-up to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix that Technical Director Paddy Lowe has taken a leave of absence, plunging his future into doubt.
It means observers are anticipating Williams to bring up the rear of the grid once again – potentially a significant distance off its nearest opponents – but a buoyant Russell defended the squad’s status, believing the criticism can unite the operation.
“I think from my side and the team’s side we’re going in there with no pressure on our shoulders,” he asserted.
“Everyone’s expecting us to finish last by a long way, come out the garage and the wheels will fall off the car. And I think anything else we do is going to be an achievement from the outside perspective. I’m just going out there to enjoy it, make the most of this, we just need to build on this, the driveability [of the car] feels nice, and the guys can really focus on making the car quicker and putting more downforce on it.
“When you compare it to last year when there were huge balance issues and they spent all of their time trying to overcome that… Like I said it might not be there now but we’ve got some good foundations to build on."
Russell added: “I’m fully onboard with Williams’ vision. They had a very difficult year last year and to make things right it’s not going to happen overnight.
“You have to do a step-by-step process and not rush anything. I’m here for the long haul. It’s a compromise here to have benefits further down the line.”
On a personal level this weekend’s event will be Russell’s first as a fully-fledged Formula 1 racer, having stepped up to a Williams race seat off the back of successive titles in Formula 2 and GP3.
“This is Formula 1 and I think there’s thousands of people who would dream to have my position,” he said. “F1’s not like any other sport, you think of football and there’s 20 teams in the Premier League, with 20 or 30 players in each team. And if you can’t make it there you go to the league below or the league below or play in Holland, Germany or Italy. In F1 it’s just the 20 best drivers and already being here is a huge achievement.”
The British youngster will be cheered on this weekend by an army of family and friends, including his parents, sister and ex-manager, as he prepares to take his first steps in the championship.
“I’m very grateful for my sister coming out here and taking time out of her work, but also my brother, I know he’s going to be very supportive,” he said of his elder brother, who will be watching at home with his own family.
“Many people say you couldn’t have done it without your family, but it truly is because my parents have spent so much time investing their time, when I started karting, investing their money to help me, and my brother and sister could have quite easily said ‘you’re spending all that time on George and not with me’, but they were fully supportive of it. It’s my turn to make the most of it, not for myself, but for them, and hopefully give something back.”
