George Russell believes Max Verstappen’s early career in F1 could have been damaged had the Dutchman joined Mercedes and been pitted at the outset against a “peaking” Lewis Hamilton.

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Verstappen was snapped up by Red Bull and promoted to Formula 1 with Toro Rosso as a 17-year-old teenager in 2015, the Dutchman transferring a year later to Red Bull Racing and winning his maiden Grand Prix in his first race with the senior bull outfit.

From a gem in the rough who was often caught out by his impetuosity, Verstappen developed into a blindingly fast and reliable racer, the young gun eventually putting two world titles under his belt.

But Russell reckons that Verstappen’s early career in F1 would have perhaps taken a very different turn had he been recruited by Mercedes as Hamilton’s teammate.

“If Max might have gone to a team like Mercedes and had to face a peaking Lewis Hamilton there, that could have damaged his career,” said the Mercedes charger in an interview with lifestyle magazine SquareMile.

“So you have to look at it from two sides. Max was a much better driver after gaining three or four years of experience compared to when he had 18 months of experience.

“If you have to compete against someone who is at his very best and dominates in the car they are used to, then Max might not be in this position today.”

Read also: Russell will ‘reassess’ bold Red Bull claim after Mercedes updates

Russell’s own apprenticeship in F1 was conducted with Williams, and more often than not at the back of the field due to the poor equipment entrusted to him by the British outfit.

But in hindsight, the Briton sees his challenging three-year stint among F1’s laggards as a valuable schooling and period of preparation.

“I could now say that I threw away three years of my career because I was driving a car at the back of the grid and couldn’t fight for the wins, but I can also look at the positive aspects of my stint at Williams,” explained the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix winner.

“I now look back on those years and think ‘yes, maybe I learned more at the back of the grid than my rivals who have been thrown into the deep end from day one’.

“Some drivers were thrown in front of the lions early in their careers and that hurt their careers.

“I have to be grateful to the people who advised me and eventually put me in this position.

“In those three years at Williams I might have been able to compete a little further in front, but if I hadn’t driven a Mercedes, I wouldn’t have fought for the World title anyway. So what’s the difference?

“Ultimately I want to win titles and whether I’m fighting at the back of the field or for position seven, there’s no difference for me.

“All in all, I’m happy with how I stand now.”

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As announced by the German side today, Angers midfielder Angelo Fulgini (25) has signed a 4-year deal at FC Mainz 05 after spending 5 years in Ligue 1 as SCO’s number 10. 

After Rangers had multiple bids turned down for Fulgini this month, the Ivorian-French born midfielder will play in the Bundesliga next season. It was reported that the player was not involved in Angers’ pre-season camp at the île-de-Ré last week – with the club accepting the inevitability of the transfer. 

In January, the former Valenciennes man was close to signing for fellow German outfit Borussia Mönchengladbach, who also reignited their interest in the player in recent weeks. Fulgini has made a total of 149 appearances in Ligue 1, scoring 20 goals and providing 15 assists from midfield – as well as also being able to play deep and on the right wing. The 25-year old has also played for the French U21 team with 3 caps to the right-footed Abidjan-born attacker. 

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According to Foot Mercato, PSG’s French left-back Layvin Kurzawa (29), who features on this summer’s list of potential departures, has changed his agent. Having not played a single minute for the French champions last season, his change in agent could be linked to a desire to leave the club in a search for regular game time. Indeed, the 29-year-old’s name has been linked with a variety of clubs, including Lille, Bordeaux, Barcelona, Newcastle and West Ham, with no move becoming evident.

However, the Frenchman remains under contract with the club, having renewed for four years in 2020, with a monthly salary of €500,000 per month. Nonetheless, president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has encouraged a clear-out this summer, with a number of expensive players currently warming the bench. Kurzawa, having cost the club €25m in the summer of 2016, has been left out of the tour of Asia, potentially in preparation for his departure.

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Sebastian Vettel says he is adjusting well to his life post-F1 and insists he does not regret retiring from the sport despite Aston Martin’s impressive performance this season.

Vettel opted to depart the grid at the end of last year after an exceptional career in Grand Prix racing that spanned sixteen years and that rewarded him with 53 wins and four world titles.

In 2021, Vettel moved from Ferrari to Aston Martin where the German helped lay the foundation for the team’s current success.

Vettel had little to show for his efforts during his two seasons with Team Silverstone, but team boss Mike Krack insists his former driver has a hand in the performance of Aston’s AMR23 this season.

Read also: Krack was ‘100 per cent tempted’ to call back Vettel

“I think he has his merits in where the [AMR23] is today,” Krack told the media in Australia.

“We had many, many meetings last year where he gave us a hint: do this, or do that, or do not do this with the new car, so I think he has his merits in here.”

In an interview with Auto Bild, Vettel said that he was attentive to current developments and impressed by his former outfit’s impressive step forward.

“I’m currently following it as a spectator – with a lot of insider knowledge of the last few years,” he said. “I’m interested, of course.”

“It’s always difficult to predict what will happen next year.

“That’s why the joy for the team prevails, of course. I’m pleased that things are going so well. That it will be better than last year was clear, because last year was pretty bad.”

As for spending his weekends as an armchair enthusiast rather than as being part of the action, Vettel is content with his new life.

“No matter what scenario takes place now, I made my decision regardless of how it could have gone this year.

“At the moment I’m doing well in my new situation and I’m looking forward to pursuing things that interest me and immersing myself in different topics.

“I’m enjoying time at home with the kids and family. I’m gathering a lot of ideas and drifting before anything more concrete comes out of it.”

Asked if he felt that Aston’s drivers are now benefitting from the teething issues he faced and helped solve, Vettel said: “No, I don’t see it that way.

“I have no regrets about stepping down. Of course it would be easier if the car wasn’t quite as good now, but that’s where the joy really outweighs the regret.

“Also for him [Alonso]. He had a few years where he didn’t have a good car and so maybe he’s having a second spring.”

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Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has declared that all ten Formula 1 teams have reached a unanimous agreement about changes to the sprint race weekend format.

Although yet to be formally voted on, Vasseur ic confident that the new format – which should get its first outing at the next Grand Prix in Azerbaijan at the end of the month – is now in place.

Sprint races were first trailed in 2021 with qualifying moved to Friday afternoon setting the starting order for the sprint on Saturday which in turn decided the grid for Sunday’s main event.

• Read also: More sprints ‘against DNA of F1’, thunders Verstappen