While the likes of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris are grabbing the headlines after their brilliant results in China, some other drivers are doing a top job and are going under the radar.
Nico Hulkenberg once again stood out in the fight between the bottom five teams earning Haas an important point.
However, speaking on De DRS Show, former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde wanted to point the spotlight at a driver who barely featured on screen throughout the weekend.
There were plenty of incidents throughout the race that warranted attention, but not always for the right reasons.
Lance Stroll ended Daniel Ricciardo’s race behind the safety car while his RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda was out of the race a lap later when he was taken out by Kevin Magnussen.
However, Van der Garde was quick to praise Mercedes driver George Russell and believes the 26-year-old is still being underestimated.
Much has been made of Lewis Hamilton’s difficulties this season and he had a very up and down weekend in China.
Meanwhile, Russell was grinding away and managed to score points in both races in Shanghai.
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Giedo van der Garde believes Mercedes star George Russell is underestimated
Going into the latest weekend of Formula 1 action, there was a lot of interest in whether Mercedes would be capable of closing the gap to the top three teams or if their battle this season is with Aston Martin.
A rain-affected Sprint qualifying session put Hamilton on the front row while Russell was caught out by the weather and missed out on Q3 altogether.
However, he fought through the pack brilliantly to finish 8 and score a precious point with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll missing out entirely.
During the main race, Russell’s battle was with the two Ferraris ahead of him and Oscar Piastri’s damaged McLaren.
While he finished several seconds behind Carlos Sainz, his 6-place finish once again opened the gap between himself and Alonso in the Drivers’ Championship and helped him gain some ground on Piastri while increasing his lead over Hamilton.
While Van der Garde didn’t go as far as to say that George Russell is now the number one driver at Mercedes, he does believe that the 26-year-old is underestimated.
He’ll be able to prove just how fast he is next season when he’s likely to be the team’s leader after Hamilton’s departure unless Toto Wolff secures his favoured target…
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George Russell continues to enhance his reputation
Asked how George Russell stayed ahead of Lewis Hamilton despite being a lesser driver, Van der Garde said: “I think George Russell is underestimated.
“I think George Russell is a really good driver and he really shows next to [Lewis] Hamilton and especially over the past two years that he comes very close and even can go ahead of him [Hamilton].
Asked if he’s now Mercedes’s number one driver, Van der Garde added: “No, in the future he will become number one or Max Verstappen will arrive and then he’s number two again.”
Russell hasn’t had the easiest run during his Formula 1 career and it’s no wonder Van der Garde believes he’s underestimated.
After spending years in a very slow Williams he arrived at Mercedes just as their domination of the sport came to an end.
However, he proved in 2022 that he’s up for the challenge by finishing ahead of Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship.
He has 11 podium finishes to his name already and is the last Mercedes driver to stand on the top step of the rostrum.
He’s even had the backing of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who believes that the next time Max Verstappen isn’t crowned champion, it’ll be because Russell has stolen his crown.
The post ‘Really good driver’: Giedo van der Garde admits that 11-podium 26-year-old is so ‘underestimated’ in F1 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
