George Russell will be putting the pedal to the metal for the final five races with Williams this season in the fight for some points.
The British driver – who will be heading to Mercedes next year – has had an impressive run this season given the machinery he’s working with, but with his future sorted, he says he’s ready to attack the final leg of the season.
“I think the pressure’s been lifted off my shoulders for a while now, and [I’m] more confident to really attack and go for it,” Russell said.
“P20 to P14 was a strong start for me, and I think in this position where we are now in the championship, we’ve got this small buffer, and it’s allowing me to go out there and really push the limits.
“I’m quite enjoying it to be honest, I’m not a driver who usually makes a huge amount of mistakes but I wanted to push myself, I think it’s why we saw an off in FP3, a little off in qualifying at Zandvoort, and just really trying to push the limit to see if there’s more in there in these last few races.
“But I think I’ve been sort of reaffirming my global strategy of you don’t need to be driving 110% to get the most out of the car as sometimes you only go slower.”
The young British driver says having his future sorted ahead of the season end, is allowing him to take more risks on track without the fear of mistakes.
“It’s just less pressure. I think the fact we are in a position of relative comfort in the constructors’ championship and also on a personal level, [having] everything confirmed for next year, I’m in a very stable position personally and just able to go out there and try new things and don’t be afraid to make some mistakes.”
