“It was such a special day, crossing the line in first position having dreamt of that moment ever since I was a kid, especially after a tough season,” said George.
“There was so much effort that had gone in to turning that season around, so it was good to get a real sense of belief back into everyone.”
Win number one for George was a particularly significant one for the team, as he became the first driver to win a Grand Prix for Mercedes having come through our team Junior Programme.
“Having been with the team since my junior days and travelled around all those races as a reserve driver – being able to achieve victory for everybody who had contributed was really special.”
Despite being emotional himself in parc fermé after the race, the reaction of those around him in the immediate aftermath of the biggest moment of his career to date was not lost on George:
“I will always remember seeing Ricci [Musconi, George’s Race Engineer for 2022] crying with emotion afterwards,“ said George.
“That meant so much to me because he was someone who had won so many races, and championships, yet my victory meant so much to him, and the rest of the team.
“That is what will stick with me the longest.”