"He was a superhero to me back then"- Mercedes' George Russell recollects his thoughts after first meeting with Lewis Hamilton 13 years ago

George Russell feels the photograph of his meeting with Lewis Hamilton from 13 years ago was a reminder of time passing quickly. The Briton claimed that the meeting was a reminder of how he idolized the seven-time world champion as a youngster.

Commenting on the photograph from 2009 at a press conference ahead of the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, Russell said:

“It’s a pleasant reminder, I think to all of us, that time is flying. And I remember that day like yesterday, you know, meeting Lewis, he was a superhero to me back then. And as I said, that was 13 years ago now but it felt like yesterday and you need to seize every opportunity, every moment every day, every race for us and just make the most of that one life you have – because it goes quick. So a photograph like that is a reminder for me.”

The Briton revealed the picture was from an era when he idolized Hamilton and was a reminder of how quickly time has passed. An old picture featuring the Mercedes duo dating back to 2009 was recently posted by Mercedes, where George Russell was a young go-kart driver posing with the British world champion when he was at McLaren.

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George Russell believes his best memory of the Hungarian GP was in 2017

George Russell reflected upon one of his best experiences at the Hungaroring circuit when the now-Mercedes driver had a debut run in an F1 car around the circuit in 2017. Describing the warm conditions, he talked about his experience as a unique memory.

Recollecting his first experience of the Hungaroring, Russell said:

“I think one of my best memories here was driving an F1 car for the first time back in 2017. And I just remember, just feeling the forces that an F1 car produced. I couldn’t quite comprehend the speed coming from GP3 at the time. It was incredibly hot, almost 40°C, and my eyes were totally bloodshot, I think it was from the forces, sweating 24/7. And that was just a real taste of what it was to, to drive an F1 car and again, gave me the motivation to say this is what I want to do always. And obviously, as the other two say, we’re here to fight for victory every weekend. So nothing changed there.”

Since his debut with Williams in 2017, George Russell has been on the Hungarian circuit four times. The Briton is looking forward to driving an improved W13 and taking home a satisfactory result before the sport heads into the summer break.