Russell: I'm not worried about the contract at all.
George Russell started the season quite confidently, and today in Suzuka he said that the Mercedes team is capable of consistently showing fairly high results this year, but for this, as always, it is necessary to make great efforts.
George Russell: "The first two races were great, I got on the podium twice – we could hardly have hoped for more. But we have to be realistic, because there are only two races of a very long season behind us. I don't think Red Bull and Ferrari have shown everything they are capable of, so we don't want to get ahead of the curve and say that we will be able to achieve the same results every weekend.
But we know for sure that if we do our best and give our best, we will continue to fight at the forefront.
I think we can say that the pace of the car surprises us pleasantly, although we knew that we usually perform quite confidently in qualifying. But in China, we were pleased that we were able to achieve a very decent racing pace – our team was second fastest there.
We've had a very positive experience, and now we're facing the Japanese Grand Prix, which was one of our worst races last year. It will be interesting to see to what extent we have managed to improve the car compared to the level we were at 12 months ago.
I don't follow the press or what is being written on social media, but just this morning someone told me that Toto Wolff speaks very well of my work. It's nice to hear that, but I already know that he supports me and believes in me. The most important thing is what happens within the team, not what is intended for the rest of the world.
As for my contract for next year, I'm not worried about it at all, I just believe in myself. In Formula 1, everything can change very quickly, but the main thing is to show results, so everything is clear in this regard. If you remember how we discussed previous contracts, it usually takes Toto and me no more than one day. Then lawyers get involved, and all the formalities are quickly settled.
There's no rush on my part right now, and I don't feel any pressure. I enjoy playing in the championship, and that's the most important thing."
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Russell: I'm not worried about the contract at all.
George Russell started the season confidently, and today in Suzuka he said that Mercedes is capable of consistently showing fairly high results this year, but it requires a lot of effort...