George Russell has detailed how he has learned to avoid enduring a “psychological struggle” as he continues to await a title-contending car with Mercedes in Formula 1.
The Brit has, under many circumstances, enjoyed another positive year in his F1 career, lying fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, just 15 points behind Max Verstappen.
Amid the difficulty, shared with many drivers, of keeping up with the rampant McLaren squad this year, Russell has once again shown calm, fast and consistent driving.
The Mercedes driver has also had to contend with persistent rumours over the summer about his future with Mercedes due to the alleged talks it held with Verstappen.
But despite all of that, Russell has scored six podiums, one being a superb and commanding victory in Canada.
Speaking on the Untapped podcast, Russell revealed how he has had to mentally find positives in the results he has been realistically able to achieve, even if they are not victories.
“I think you learn that you have to take those small victories,” he said.
“You got to adjust your goals to what is a realistic goal for this given weekend, or what is the realistic goal for this given season.
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Russell called for patience within the ranks at the Brackley-based squad, admitting that whilst it is currently failing in its bid to win the championship, it is not yet the end of the world.
“To win the championship this year is not a realistic goal,” he added.
“Of course, we’re working towards that, but if we don’t achieve that goal, we shouldn’t be kicking ourselves, because we’re just not in that position right now.
“And that’s when we go into every single race weekend thinking: ‘Right, we think we’ve got an opportunity to fight for the podium here.’
“If I finish in fourth place, I won’t be happy. If I finish in second, I will be.
“Or on the flip side, if we believe we can win this weekend, but we only come home in third, that might be a better result than all the other races, but you’ve underachieved compared to the potential.
“You have to teach yourself to take those small victories, otherwise you’re going to get in a sort of a negative spiral of psychological struggle, and that’s only going to impact your performance later down the line.
“So, you’re not doing this just so you’re staying happy. You’re doing this to continue performing at your 100 per cent.”
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