Resilience needed to pursue passion, Russell tells Malaysian students

BANGI: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formulaone (F1) Team driver George Russell took some time off his busy race schedule to inspire over 200 Malaysian public and private university students, today.

The 25-year-old British racer, shared his early life experience and his four wheel racing career beginning from karting, before moving up the ladder to GP3 and Formula series, and successfully launching his F1 career.

Speaking at the event titled 'Success on the Fast Lane' organised by Petronas Lubricants International, Russel said it takes resilience to keep pushing one's passion, especially coping with the high pressure industry.

"However, it is important to keep remembering your goals and to stay focused on achieving them. It's also important to be ready to adapt to changing environments - this proves true not just on the track where race conditions can change in a matter of minutes, but also in everyday life.

"I am happy to share my experiences, and the lessons I've learnt along the way, in the hope that I inspire the students here today to continue to pursue their passion," he said at the Petronas Leadership Centre here.

Russell, currently sixth in the championship standings with 18 points after the season's first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, is confident that he and his teammate Lewis Hamilton will be able to challenge Redbull Racing's Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez for the world title.

Russel will be heading to Melbourne tomorrow for the weekend's Australian Grand Prix at the Albert Park Circuit.

Meanwhile, PLI managing director and group chief executive officer Hezlinn Fariss Idris said, they're pleased to provide the students with the exclusive insights from the life and experiences of Russell to inspire and encourage the future leaders to pursue their passion.

"At PLI, we recognise the need for undergraduates to hear real-life experiences, from people who have demonstrated grit, guts and resilience to rise above the circumstances and to perform under pressure," she said.

-- BERNAMA