26 September 2023 , 15:53
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Former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone hailed one of the sport's starlets as he admitted he "can't make up his mind" about George Russell.
The 25-year-old is already a race winner, having taken victory in Brazil last year. He is the only Mercedes driver to win a Grand Prix in the last two seasons, with Lewis Hamilton in the midst of his longest drought ever.
But not everyone is wholly convinced about Russell. In the wake of his crash on the last lap of the Singapore Grand Prix as he pushed desperately for the win, Ecclestone is one of those who still harbours some doubts about his title credentials.
"I can't make up my mind about him," he told the Daily Mail. "I like him. He is super-talented. It is a matter of what he is prepared to do to win. I don't think he thinks his race through, something Lewis does do."
If he ran a team these days, Ecclestone knows exactly who he would be signing to drive for it. He continued: "I think I’d get hold of the Australian kid [Oscar Piastri]. He's very good. But Max [Verstappen] is the best I have ever seen."
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Russell beat Hamilton by 35 points in their first season together at Mercedes. This year, though, the seven-time world champion comfortably has the upper hand in the intra-team battle and a cushion of 75 points between himself in third place and his fellow Brit, tied for seventh with Lando Norris after 16 races.
Despite Russell's sophomore slump, though, Mercedes remain confident in their hopes for the 25-year-old's future. He was given a new deal until the end of 2025 only last month and trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin thinks it is only a matter of time until he is competing for silverware on a regular basis.
He said: "[Russell] is a hugely professional driver who's working very, very hard. And he's one of those that you'd say [there is] no doubt he'll win a championship at some point, providing we can give him a car that's fit for that job.
"We're obviously working very hard to achieve that. But he's very technical. He adapts well to different conditions. All good drivers get better over time, they're focused on looking for every opportunity to improve.
"When he got pole [at the Hungarian Grand Prix] last year it was a surprise for us, because we didn't have a good Friday. We did make some changes to the car, but he did a fantastic job in qualifying to get that. So, he's super focused and no doubt that he'll be part of much success for the team in the future."