George Russell Shares Emotional Throwback Moment With Max Verstappen

Saajan Jogia | Sep 14, 2024

Jun 9, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Mercedes driver George Russell (GBR) reacts next to winner Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (NED) after getting third place in the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Mercedes driver George Russell shared an inspiring message on X for World Karting Championship drivers, reflecting on his own journey from 12 years ago when he won the European Karting Championship in the Junior category alongside Max Verstappen, who claimed the senior title that year. The British driver encouraged aspiring drivers to persevere in their pursuits, highlighting the progress from then to now.

Russell’s nostalgic post touches on the challenging journey many Formula 1 drivers endure as they climb the ranks to secure a seat in the premier class of motorsport. He debuted in Formula 1 in 2019 with Williams as the reigning Formula 2 Champion and later joined Mercedes in 2022 alongside Lewis Hamilton, replacing Valtteri Bottas.

The 26-year-old driver emphasized that dreams can't be achieved overnight, but "with hard work, there’s a chance that they can become reality." He explained in the post:

"12 years ago, I was celebrating my win at the European Karting Championship in the Juniors, alongside Max, who took the win in Seniors at my local circuit PFI.

"This weekend, PFI is hosting the World Karting Championship and it reminded me of the hard work, the passion, and the dream to one day race at the top.

"It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day pressures of life and racing, but stumbling across these photos reminded me of that kid who was hungry to make it to F1.

"It’s a reminder that dreams don’t happen overnight, but with hard work, there’s a chance that they can become reality.

"Best of luck to everyone competing at the World Karting Championships this weekend. Give it your all and you never know where it may lead."

12 years ago, I was celebrating my win at the European Karting Championship in the Juniors, alongside Max, who took the win in Seniors at my local circuit PFI.

This weekend, PFI is hosting the World Karting Championship and it reminded me of the hard work, the passion, and the… pic.twitter.com/9TXhO1hDNa

— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) September 14, 2024

Verstappen entered Formula 1 in 2014 with Red Bull's junior team, VCARB (then Toro Rosso), before being promoted to Red Bull in 2016. While he and Russell aligned on several instances in their F1 journey since their karting days, they recently differed on the proposed rookie sprint race planned after the Abu Dhabi finale to give junior drivers more time in F1 cars. When asked for his thoughts, Verstappen expressed that the event would likely be met with little interest. He told the media:

"Not my problem. I'm on holidays.

"I don't know. I don't think everyone is excited after the final race to then do another race on Tuesday. If you want to give rookies a chance, just put them in the car."

Russell, who has voiced support for junior drivers on many occasions, revealed that the idea was exciting. He added:

"I actually quite like the idea, to be honest. I always have mixed feelings about the FP1 sessions for a rookie because unless you've had a lot of experience, doing F1 tests is very, very challenging.

"I remember my first FP1 I did with Force India in Sao Paulo. I'd only done two days of F1 testing prior to that. I'd never been to Sao Paulo. And it really felt that I was thrown in that deep end. There was a lot of scrutiny on those two laps, three laps you get on a brand new set of tyres. But an opportunity for rookie drivers to do a full day of testing, then straight into a sprint race weekend. Yeah, I think it's a good idea."