How a Mere ‘Pedal Tractor’ Laid Foundation to George Russell’s Incredible Racing Career

George Russell is struggling a lot with the 2022 Mercedes challenger. But he has showcased his exceptional skill with the troublesome German car. He has finished in the top 5 in every race so far and even finished third last week in Australia. But who knew that the driver’s exceptional driving skills came from riding a pedal tractor as a kid?

Russell is undoubtedly one of the best young drivers on the grid at the moment. Many fans even see a future world champion in the 24-year-old driver. Moreover, F1 fans want to know how the young Brit developed such phenomenal talent. So, the Mercedes driver recently shared the childhood incidents that helped him grow into the talented driver he is today.

George said, “I grew up on a racetrack. I used to have this little pedal tractor, which I used to pedal around on go-kart tracks when I was around 2-3 years old. It is quite funny; I used to put a water tanker back to my pedal tractor and collect water for the go-kart team. To fill up the radiators for the engine every day, like drain up the water, fill up the water and there is this 3-4 kid going around collecting all the water in the water tanker.”

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“Then I had a 50cc quad bike when I was 4 years old and before I joined go-karting at age 7. When I look back at these experiences of peddling my tractor and driving a quad bike around the field and I only think it helped me become the driver I’m today.” The Mercedes driver continued, “Because when I joined go-kart for the very first time, it felt natural. I was used to the movement, I used to speed, I was used to controlling something with four wheels and a steering wheel.”

George Russell stole someone’s brand new set of tires as a kid

The Silver Arrow driver now drives an F1 car worth millions of dollars. Aside from the F1 cars, the 24-year-old owns luxurious cars for his daily life. But many fans might find it shocking that as a kid, Mr. Saturday once stole someone’s brand new tires.

Russell shared, “I also used to collect these old tires, I don’t know why on my little trailer. And My dad let me entertain myself. There was one day when my dad cross me because I came back and I didn’t realize that I have gone into somebody’s garage and I have taken a brand new set of tires.

“I had no idea they were brand new and were worth 100 or 200 pounds. And I effectively stole this person’s set of brand new tyres as a 3-year-old kid and bought them back to my father. And there was no way to find out whose tyre they were. So, I don’t know what he did with them.”

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George Russell is currently at P2 on the constructors’ table ahead of his seven-time world champion teammate. The young Brit will again drive his Mercedes W13, worth millions, in the upcoming race at Imola. Let’s see if the young Brit can keep up his consistent performance in the European leg of the championship.