"Rosberg left with his tail between his legs" - George Russell can handle pressure better than former Mercedes world champion, says Dutch racing driver

Dutch professional racing driver Tom Coronel recently claimed that George Russell is likely to deal better with the pressure of driving with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton than the latter's former team-mate Nico Rosberg. Hamilton and Rosberg shared a hostile relationship during their time together at Mercedes. While the current driver line-up at the Silver Arrows is certainly competitive, Russell and Hamilton appear to share a respectful relationship.

As reported by PlanetF1, Coronel compared the 24-year-old to former world champion Nico Rosberg. The Dutch driver emphasized that the Briton has a very different approach when it comes to dealing with the pressures of racing for Mercedes, saying:

“I see a bit of the [Nico] Rosberg and [Lewis] Hamilton effect, two good drivers pushing each other to the limit. Well, Rosberg left with his tail between his legs and couldn’t handle the pressure. But I don’t see [George] Russell doing that. That also has to do with character. I see Russell differently in the race. If he becomes World Champion this year, he really won’t stop. He’s too young for that, but he’s also in a completely different mode in his head.”

Speaking about the first three races of the season for Mercedes and the nature of the relationship George Russell shares with his teammate, Coronel said:

“I have learnt from these first weekends that the competition is good. Lewis is smart and was a bit faster in qualifying, but then Russell immediately says ‘yes, but I made a small mistake’. I like that. After the race Russell also said ‘the pit stop worked out well and that’s why I was ahead of Lewis’. Just the words ‘in front of Lewis’ indicates to me that they are engaged with each other. You don’t mention it otherwise.”

George Russell has outperformed Hamilton on several occasions this season. He currently stands nine points ahead of the seven-time world champion in the drivers' standings.

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Mercedes reveal strategy used for George Russell at 2022 Australian GP

Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles spoke about the call the team took to prevent George Russell from fighting Sergio Perez at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.

In a video on the Mercedes YouTube channel, Vowles admitted that the last thing the team wants is to give up positions. He, however, claimed it was absolutely necessary to ensure that the tires lasted till the end of the race and that the Briton ends the Sunday with decent points. The 42-year-old said:

“You saw that happen with [Sergio] Perez on stint one. The message to George [Russell] was very simple: ‘Look after your tyres’. And if that costs a position to Perez on track then we don’t want it with all our heart but it’s the right thing to do. Ultimately, getting to the end of the race on tyres that we know will make it covers you off against safety cars and other circumstances [and] is the right course of action, especially given what happened with the mediums in stint one.”

Russell, who is currently in his first F1 season as a full-time Mercedes driver, managed to get his first podium finish with Mercedes at Albert Park.