Norris, 20, also learned a lot in his rookie season. He had the benefit of having driven the McLaren in seven Friday morning practice sessions on grand prix weekends in 2018.
“I have improved a lot as a driver, not all of it in direct lap time improvements,” he said of his 21 races last season. “It could be feedback or progression on setup changes. The driving and knowing what toys you can use and everything like that, the mental side of things, a lot has changed. My knowledge of things and my ability to say back in this race we did this, and that improved the car, but when we did that it did not improve the car. So which one will be more similar at this track? With the experience you gain, and only because of experience, you are able to compare to other things and relate back to other weekends and races. So, in simple words, I have learned a lot.”
Norris was 19 during his rookie season. Russell was 21. They are part of a young wave of drivers coming into F-1 that was started by Verstappen, who was 17 during his rookie season in 2015. Since then, the FIA has mandated that a driver must be at least 18 to race in F-1.
Others in the group include Lance Stroll and Charles Leclerc who were 18 and 20, respectively, when they were rookies in 2018. Alex Albon is the old guy in the group, being 23 during his rookie season with Toro Rosso and Red Bull last year.
“I came into European karting at age 13,” Russell said. “I was racing against Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll. There were a number of really great karters out there whom I raced against at the best level. You just keep pushing each other and yourself further. Whereas if you jump in and you are winning straightaway, you get used to that level and you can’t push yourself further if there is no one to push you. So racing against these guys pushed me further. So I think that is why the group of us are here in F-1 now and doing a good job.”
Norris thinks this sudden wave of young drivers is a coincidence.
“Alex (Albon) almost did not get into F-1,” he said. “I am happy that he did, but he could be in Formula E right now. It is weird but Alex, George (Russell) and me all ended up in Formula 2 at the same time, and we ended up one, two, three in the points (Russell, Norris and Albon) in the 2018 F-2 championship. We all proved that we were all worthy of going into F-1. And we have all proved that it was the right decisions for our F-1 teams to make.
“So it was a coincidence, but at the same time there were three guys who were determined to get into F-1 and who have all put in the time and effort all the way since karting to try and be the best,” Norris added. “Then we got to F-2 and were always wanting to try and beat each other, and to push each other. And that helped us get into F-1.”
Formula One is on hold at the moment, like many sports and auto racing series around the world. When racing does resume, how much better will Norris and Russell be compared to their first grand prix race in 2019?
“Among the biggest things that I improved on last season was how to handle a race,” Norris said. “Things like the starts, how aggressive you have to be; the tire saving, communication with the team. All of those things. The more time you spend in F-1, the more things can happen to you. And that creates more areas for improvement. So one of the biggest things I improved on is the whole race situation. So when I race next time, I am sure that I will be much better.”
Last year’s Williams was so bad that there is nowhere for it to go but up this year.
“I know that we are going to improve a huge amount,” Russell said. “I am absolutely sure of that. The thing I am not sure about is how much every other team will improve. If all the other teams stand still, I know that we will be right in the mix and fighting. But this is F-1 and everyone will improve. We still have a long way to go before preseason testing, and we are still improving. We are on a really good path at the moment. And I am sure that we will be fighting.”
For now, however, Russell and Norris have to wait at home. And home is in England, not Monaco.