Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso has been immensely impressed by the young British driver George Russell since he joined Williams.

Russell made heads turn when he replaced Lewis Hamilton at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix after the latter had tested positive for the coronavirus. Russell qualified at P2 after narrowly losing out on pole to teammate Valtteri Bottas.

Russel looked poised to win the race until he was involved in a pit stop blunder, finishing the race at P9, earning his first three points of Drivers Championship, two for the ninth place and one for the fastest lap. Later, the media and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff praised him for his performance and grit.

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What did Fernando Alonso say?

Alonso has been extremely impressed by George Russell and believes the young British opened the eyes of millions of fans after Sakhir Grand Prix.

During his two years away from the sport, he enjoyed watching the young Williams driver on television before racing alongside him after making his own F1 comeback this year. Alonso emphasized the potential that the 23-year-old possesses.

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“The opportunity with the Mercedes… I think it was a real opportunity for everyone to watch what a driver with the talent of George can do with a winning car. He nearly won the first race at the first opportunity he had,” said the two-time champion, Fernando Alonso.

“That, I think, was proof for many people, not only a few, that we knew how good he was. That race in Bahrain was enough to open [the eyes] of millions of people.”

“Future world champ”: Alonso to George Russell

After the Monaco Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso and George Russell swapped their helmets with the former writing on the helmet he gave to the British driver: “George, you rock!! Future world champ”.

When asked about his inscription on Russell’s helmet, the two-time world champion explained how impressed he has been with the 23-year-old who successfully made it to Q2 at all the six qualifyings this year.

“Definitely very impressed. I said also last year when I was following the sport that I think he has been very, very impressive with the performance we saw in the Williams,” said Alonso.

“We know that it is not a competitive package. It is better this year but not in the last two [years] and [despite that] I think he was putting in something special every weekend and that was nice to watch at home. That is something you always get impressed by.”

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