George Russell was mighty impressive in his one-off race for Mercedes in 2020. The then-Williams driver filled in for his fellow Briton and now teammate Lewis Hamilton who was out because of COVID. While he agonizingly fell back from P2 to P9 because of a rear-left puncture in the 79th lap, he rates the overtake on Valtteri Bottas in Lap 70 among his best.

George Russell for very long was being touted to partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, replacing Valtteri Bottas. He more than made his point in Bahrain when he overtook Bottas in the very first lap to lead the race. Later on, a horrid double-stacking attempt saw them fit Valtteri’s tires on Russell’s car. Resultantly, George was called back in to fit in the correct set.

George Russell talks about the overtake in Sakhir and how leading a race feels like

George Russell joined Mercedes in 2022, which was one of the toughest seasons the team had to endure in the past few years. Nevertheless, Russell was impressive as he delivered the team’s only win in Brazil. To top that, he even beat his teammate Lewis Hamilton on the points tally by 35 points. Despite a tough 2022 season, he had many highs to look back on but the 70th lap overtake in Bahrain back in 2020 remains dear to him.

Recalling the moment, F1 Maximaal quoted him saying, “This has been one of my best overtakes ever.” [Translated using Google]

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Russell revealed how leading the race felt natural to him. “What was special was that it didn’t feel crazy at all to drive at the front. Like any race, you’re just there to give your best. For me nothing changed in that area,” he recalled.

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George was visibly emotional after taking his first race win at Interlagos this year. What made the race even more special for Mercedes was the P2 finish from Lewis Hamilton.

Lewis Hamilton’s praises for George Russell after a 1-2 finish for Mercedes in Brazil

After a season full of struggles where Mercedes worked against many issues, the results in Brazil were pleasing. Russell did not just win the race, he had to fight off his teammate to cross the finish line first. Talking post-race, Lewis lauded his teammate’s efforts throughout the weekend.

Sky Sports quoted him saying, “Huge congratulations to George, this is a wonderful win for him.”

“He did an amazing qualifying [Sprint] yesterday, so he truly deserves it,” Lewis added.

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Do you think George’s overtake on Bottas in 2020 was his best, or would you pick some other moment from the recently concluded season?