Motorsport is expensive and devours hundreds of thousands of euros in the junior kart sport. The young drivers therefore rely on their parents’ investments, who often also take over management in the background, search for sponsors or put their own money into the offspring of the offspring. Like George Russell, who paid back his parents more than a million euros that they had invested in karting.
Russell explains to the Daily Mail how hard the time in karting was for him. “We ran and he was stressed out of his job,” said Mercedes, today’s Formula 1 driver.
“When I made stupid mistakes, he was mad at me. In these eight years there were happy moments, but also sad memories, because my parents argued because my father was so hard to me. My mother tried to hold everything together.”
Formula 1: Russell with his parents finally debt -free
At that time, Russell’s parents had to raise more than 1.5 million euros to enable their son a career in motorsport. The Briton convinced and worked up step by step. He became GP3 master (today Formula 3) and Formula 2 champion.
Then he signed a contract with Williams in the premier class and took the big step into the elite of racing. Now, as a driver, he is leading the Mercedes team alongside Rookie Kimi Antonelli, who came to the team as the successor to Lewis Hamilton.
So Russell knows what it is like to be under great pressure and still perform well. He paid back his “debts” with the parents to the last cent. His father, who always wanted to see a return for his investment, was not disappointed.
Russell itself is said to earn more than eleven million euros a year at Mercedes. The 27-year-old was brought up hard by his father, but is also grateful for his commitment.
Russell: Strict parents were curse and blessing
“He said, ‘You didn’t win.’ The expectation was always to be on the pole position and win every race – or at least to be on the podium, “recalls Russell.
“Even if I won, it wasn’t always sunshine when we drove home. He said: ‘You could have done it better.’ He made me what I am today. “
Russell’s father always wanted to see 100 percent and always saw space for improvements. The positive is therefore often moved into the background, says Russell. “I’m going on like this and see where I can improve,” says the Mercedes pilot. “But I make sure to see the positive, otherwise it can be a dangerous cliff.”
Benjy Russell is George’s older brother and former kart world champion. He also had the talent to get to the top, but opted for another career path.
Benjy Russell’s children drive kart today, and George Russell confirms: “He tears his butt on to give them a chance. Life is not always easy. I will always be grateful for what my father did for me.”