George Russell has stolen the show from Mercedes so far this season from record world champion Lewis Hamilton. The newcomer to the side of the seven-time champion has finished in the top five in every race and even ended up on the podium for the second time in Barcelona. Even an intervention in the world championship fight is still expected of Russell.
At least that’s as far as Timo Glock leans out the window. The ex-Formula 1 driver is now a TV expert and still has a lot of confidence in the 24-year-old this year: “As far as the world championship fight is concerned, […] everything is still possible for George Russell. In contrast to Lewis Hamilton, he scored very consistently and is not too far from the top,” said Glock in his “sky“-Column.
In fact, in his first year at Mercedes, Russell is fourth in the championship standings, ahead of Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and team-mate Lewis Hamilton, despite the Silver Arrows’ current performance difficulties.
The gap to World Cup leader Max Verstappen is 36 points, Charles Leclerc is 30 points away as World Cup runner-up. “It only takes a competitor in front of him to drop out and it’s his turn again with a win in the driver’s standings,” Glock still has confidence in the Mercedes driver.
All in all, the 91-time Grand Prix starter assumes that the constructors’ world champion Mercedes will find its way out of its performance slump this year and will be competing for race victories.
Glock has a lot of confidence in Mercedes in Monaco
“For Mercedes, the Barcelona GP was a step in the right direction with third and fifth places for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton also drove a very good race in terms of speed. […] Since the Mercedes cars are confronted with slow corners, we might see a three-way battle in Monaco,” Glock explained.
The Monaco Grand Prix will take place next weekend. The race starts next Sunday at 3:00 p.m.