19/05/2021
NEWS STORY
Though he doesn't name a prospective employer, George Russell admits he is seeking a multi-year deal from 2022.
In the third and final year of his current contract with Williams, it is unlikely that - barring a turnaround of McLaren proportions - George Russell will wish to remain with the Grove outfit.
Indeed, widely thought to be a shoo-in for a seat at Mercedes, on a day McLaren announces a new multi-year deal for Lando Norris, Russell admits that he is looking for a similar arrangement.
"I definitely think in the position I am currently, being a free agent as such, going into next year is a good position to be in," he told reporters in Monaco, "but I think stability and longevity is important.
"I think it's so clear with people moving around recently how difficult it is to jump in and adapt to a new team," he added, a clear reference to the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Perez as they struggle to fully fit into their new teams.
"Wherever I find myself next year let's say, I'd like it to be for a couple of years," he admitted, "as it's so important to have that consistency to be able to grow and progress."
Looking ahead to a weekend that sees his team celebrate its 750th Grand Prix, Russell said: "Our Saturday performances have been very strong and obviously here, more so than ever, qualifying is the most important.
"On paper, so far, we are probably the eighth or ninth quickest team on qualifying pace and the ninth quickest team on race pace," he admitted, "but hopefully we can find a bit of magic as we have done in some races previously... on Saturday afternoon just to eek a couple more tenths out of it.
"On a track like this, it can be the difference between P15 and P9," added the 2018 F2 champion whose best qualifying this year was 11th in Portugal.
Check out our Wednesday gallery from Monaco, here.