George Russell has the makings of a world champion for Ross Brawn

Mercedes having long since set its sights on the young Briton, we knew that the troops of Toto wolff had not supported George Russell in his accession to the F1 by chance.

FIA Champion F2, then passed through Williams, Russell benefited from the positive Covid-19 test of Lewis Hamilton to make an important replacement within the world champion team, and thus prove all the good things that most observers thought of him.

Narrowly beaten for pole position on Saturday by Valtteri Bottas, and not necessarily 100% at ease in the W11, the Briton made a perfect takeoff to “sting” the Finn at the start before controlling the first part of the race.

It will only takea Mercedes error in the pits and a puncture to prevent Russell from aiming for victory or the podium yesterday. But more than the result, it was the way in which the starting driver Williams worked during the race, such as his overtaking of his teammate after the restart, which left its mark.

“George should be very positive about his weekend, despite the disappointing final result, believes Ross Brawn, Motor Sports Director at Liberty Media. He delivered an exceptional performance in quite difficult circumstances.

I always thought he was a good Grand Prix driver. George demonstrated that he had that little something extra, and a star was born. There is no longer any doubt that he has the makings of an F1 world champion. He made no mistakes in a difficult situation and all the problems came from the team, not him. »

It clearly appears that the future seems clear for Russell, if by chance a starting place becomes available at Mercedes. His performance last weekend will undoubtedly serve as a point of reference.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Sakhir Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondent in Bahrain, in issue 2290 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.