Former Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams opened up on blocking George Russell from joining Mercedes, and the emotional anguish it created.

Russell would ultimately get his big promotion to Mercedes – where he has gone on to become a three-time grand prix winner – but the move would have come earlier if Williams had allowed it, which she did not.

Claire Williams ‘hated’ blocking George Russell to Mercedes

After winning the GP3 and Formula 2 titles in consecutive seasons, Russell – backed by Mercedes – joined engine customer team Williams in 2019, and played a key role in dragging the iconic outfit up and out from the depths and despair of being F1’s slowest team, scoring his first podium at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix washout.

Russell got the nod to replace Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes from 2022, but in an appearance on the Beyond The Grid podcast, then Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams opened up on how she blocked an earlier graduation to Mercedes for Russell, much to his disappointment, while it was challenging emotionally for her too.

“George wanted to go to Mercedes in that last couple of years and I couldn’t let him go and I hated that,” said Williams. “It makes me upset to think about it.

“I needed him, I felt, more than Mercedes and he was in contract. If I let him go, what message would that have sent? What would that have done to my team if I’d have let George go?

“He was one of the greatest things that we had at Williams.

“When you go into a negotiation with a team like Mercedes and they’re not offering you what they should be for your A-star driver, then why would you just let him go? What kind of team principal would I have been if I’d have just let George go because Mercedes said, ‘We want George now’. That’s not how it works, is it?

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“[George] was clearly upset and it was really difficult. It was very hard to stand my ground because if someone comes to me and they’re upset, and it’s because of me because I’m a blocker, it’s really hard, but I had to put my team first.

“As much as I would have loved to have made George’s dreams come true, I couldn’t at the time, and that was one of the hardest parts of being a team principal for me. And I always said to George, ‘You will be grateful for this one day because it will build resilience in you, it will build strength.’”

Russell has grown into the lead driver role at Mercedes after three seasons as team-mate to seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, with Hamilton’s move to Ferrari opening the door for Kimi Antonelli – also a graduate of the Mercedes Junior Team – to begin his F1 journey.

Russell sits P4 in the current Drivers’ Championship standings, 38 points behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in top spot.

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