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Mercedes Junior Eyeing Leclerc as the F1 Benchmark

Published 07/03/2018, 1:51 PM EDT

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Mercedes F1 junior George Russell believes that Charles Leclerc is paving the way for young drivers to journey to F1.

Leclerc won the GP3 Series title in 2016 and the Formula 2 title in 2017. It was only after that that he earned a drive with Sauber this season.

Russell, in the meantime, won the 2017 GP3 title. He also took the F2 points’ lead in Austria last weekend with a win and a second place. This brings up his tally to four victories this season.

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“I think times are changing slightly, you have the likes of Verstappen, Ocon and Leclerc going into F1,” said the 20-year-old.

“These guys can come in and challenge the experienced drivers in the field. 

via Imago

“I think what Charles is doing now is a great example of how competitive some junior series are. He won GP3 and then F2, and I won GP3 last year and [I’m] currently leading F2. 

“From my personal selling point of view, let’s say, there’s a very good example in Charles to show what he’s capable of and what we’re doing this year.”

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Russell felt that his testing opportunities with Mercedes and Force India made him ready to step up if the opportunity arises. He also added that his recent results could be putting pressure on Mercedes to find him a seat in F1.

“If an opportunity arose with anybody at Silverstone this weekend, I’d feel ready, prepared,” he said. “I’ve done extensive simulator work with Mercedes over the past two years really. 

“I’ve done a number of days testing now with Mercedes and Force India and I feel confident that I can live up to the challenge. 

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“I know they believe there is potential with me or they wouldn’t have taken me on as a junior driver otherwise. I think they believe in me. 

“Now we’re at the highest level of junior motorsport, it’s the best young drivers in the world, it’s definitely putting pressure on the guys who are managing my situation to hopefully find something for me next season.”

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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