Why Russell’s frank admission on F1 driver adrenaline addiction is to his credit

OPINION: In an interview at the end of the 2023 Formula 1 season, Mercedes driver George Russell made an unexpected admission about his approach to road driving and cycling. In doing so, he inspired a consideration into just what motorsport fans want from its stars...

Author Alex Kalinauckas

Published Jan 10, 2024, 10:14 AM

“Are there any good Formula 1 drivers?”

Stuffed full of turkey and bread sauce, and surrounded by discarded wrapping paper, not a question I was expecting to answer on Christmas Day just gone. Getting more than a handful of correct answers from University Challenge was about the limit.

The calorie-stupefied cogs had barely started turning. Explanations of Lewis Hamilton’s statistical greatness, Max Verstappen’s current crushing domination and Charles Leclerc’s searing speed rising slowly from some dormant brain place after a long season. But the question actually wasn’t the one I’d initially assumed.

Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.