Russell takes page out of ‘very beatable’ Verstappen playbook in bold title claim

George Russell claimed that he would “absolutely” have been able to win the World Championship in this year’s McLaren, and “for sure” taken the team-mate battle with Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

Verstappen and Russell were involved in a battle for pole position in Qatar at the weekend, but the reigning World Champion said he “lost all respect” for the Mercedes driver when the pair visited the stewards after the session, after Verstappen was found to have impeded the Briton while both were on a slow lap.

George Russell ‘ready to fight’ for a title with Max Verstappen ‘very beatable’

Russell will be stepping up to be Mercedes’ team leader next season with the departure of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari, and when asked about that, explained that his experience in the sport will set him up for such a position.

“Lewis leaving doesn’t change much,” Russell told the Mail.

“I will be entering seven years of Formula 1. I am ready to fight for a World Championship.”

On Verstappen, he has won each of the last four titles in succession, successfully fending off the challenge of McLaren and Lando Norris this year to take the crown in Las Vegas in November.

But after saying he would “for sure” have shaded the team-mate battle himself at Red Bull this year, as is typical with the confidence required for being a Formula 1 driver, Russell explained that this year’s title for the Dutchman has come as a result of others losing points where his consistency has remained – pointing out that Mercedes have made the most of the majority of their opportunities to succeed in 2024.

“Max has won once in the last 12 races so he is very beatable,” Russell said.

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“The difference [between Verstappen and Norris] is that when Max has had the chance he has won, whereas his rivals who should have beaten him this year did not.

“They [Norris and McLaren] have thrown away a lot of points and therefore Max, who is an exceptional driver, has won the championship early.

“I say I could have won in the Red Bull because it was the quickest car at the start. Even Checo [Perez] was second a few times. It’s only in the second half of the season that they were the third best team.

“If you look at the three times we have had a chance to take pole we have done so on all of them.

“All the races where we were capable of winning we have done that, other than in Montreal. On the majority of occasions, we came away with the best result we could.”

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