George Russell didn’t fit into Hamilton’s cockpit during his impromptu debut in the Silver Arrow and even sustained injuries
To this day, George Russell’s first race for Mercedes brings back more than just sporting memories. The Brit reveals that, even nearly six years later, he still bears scars on his hips. The cause was his last-minute debut for the German factory team at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, when he replaced Lewis Hamilton, who had contracted COVID-19.
Russell was still driving for Williams at the time, but didn’t receive the call until the Tuesday before the race weekend. Just one day later, he sat in the Mercedes for the first time to check whether he would even fit in the cockpit. The result was sobering.
“I got the call on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I drove to the team to see if I’d fit in the car. I didn’t fit,” Russell recalls. The Mercedes was tailored to Hamilton and his then-teammate Valtteri Bottas, both of whom are shorter than the current Mercedes driver.
Hamilton two sizes smaller?
Above all, Russell’s height and shoe size became an issue. “I was completely squished and bent forward. My shoes didn’t fit. I wear a size 45 and had to put on size 43 shoes just to get into the cockpit at all,” the Briton reports.
Despite the obvious limitations, Russell didn’t think for a second about questioning his participation. When the team asked if everything was okay, he always gave the same answer. “I said, ‘Yes, everything’s fine. No problem. I’m racing this weekend, no matter what happens.’”
The physical consequences still affect him to this day. Due to the cramped seating position, Russell sustained injuries to his hips, the scars from which are still visible years later. Given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, however, it’s hardly surprising that he accepted these consequences. For the then-Williams driver, it was his first chance to prove himself in a top-tier car—the Silver Arrow.
Russell Impresses Despite Pain
On the track, Russell made impressive use of this opportunity. Already in qualifying, he was just 0.026 seconds off Bottas’ pole position. In the race, he took the lead right after the start and at times pulled eight seconds clear of the field. Everything pointed to a commanding debut victory for Mercedes.
Then the race took a dramatic turn. During a safety car period, Mercedes made a costly mistake. The mechanics accidentally mounted Bottas’s tires on Russell’s car. Because this violated the regulations, Russell had to return to the pits immediately and fell far behind.
The Briton then fought his way back to the front in impressive fashion. But shortly before the end of the race, a flat tire dashed his last hopes of victory. Instead of the success that had seemed certain, he was left with only ninth place and the feeling that one of the greatest moments of his career had slipped through his fingers.
A Decisive Step for the Future
“I was on my way to victory, and then everything was taken away from me,” Russell recalls. At the same time, however, he sensed that this race would have a decisive impact on his future. “I knew that what I showed that weekend was probably enough to secure my future with this team.”
Looking back, therefore, the positive memories outweigh the disappointment. His performance in Sakhir definitively established Russell as a candidate for a Mercedes seat. At the end of 2021, the team confirmed his move for the 2022 season. The fact that this journey began with lasting scars is now, for Russell, just an unusual memory of one of the most defining weekends of his Formula 1 career.
