George Russell has insisted that he would have managed to take the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship in 2024 had he been driving either a McLaren or a Red Bull car.
Verstappen clinched his fourth successive title with two rounds to go, but he argued that would’ve occurred even earlier had he been equipped with McLaren’s MCL38.
The Dutchman’s assertion came amid Red Bull’s gradual decline in competitiveness during the campaign seeing McLaren emerge as the benchmark team on the grid.
Russell, though, contended in Las Vegas – the venue where Verstappen sealed the deal – that the battle ought to have gone down to the wire amid Red Bull’s struggles.
The Briton, who has seized two victories in his Mercedes this season, has backed himself to have come out on top had he been placed in either of his rivals’ positions.
Asked if he would have taken the championship in Norris’ McLaren, Russell replied to the Daily Mail: “Yes, absolutely.”
When then pressed on whether he would have also edged the title race in Verstappen’s Red Bull, Russell added: “For sure.”
Russell highlights McLaren/Norris mistakes
Expanding on his conviction, Russell pointed to the various errors that Norris and McLaren have made that have contributed to his current 80-point gap to Verstappen.
“Max has won once in the last 12 races so he is very beatable,” he highlighted.
“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.”
Red Bull’s initial 2024 dominance
Russell also believes that Red Bull’s marked advantage over the rest in the nascent rounds means he could’ve replicated Verstappen and secured the title in the RB20.
“I say I could have won in the Red Bull because it was the quickest car at the start,” he continued.
“Even Checo [Sergio Perez] was second a few times. It’s only in the second half of the season that they were the third-best team.”
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