George Russell believes Max Verstappen could have hurt his career if he joined a team like Mercedes and had a teammate on the level of Lewis Hamilton.
Russell spent the first three years of his time in Formula 1 in the back of the field with Williams before switching to the Silver Arrows for 2022.
When asked by Square Mile if this experience might give him an edge over drivers who got into a faster car sooner, Russell explained: "I guess that's something you'd never know.
"It's something I tell myself because I like to be a glass half full and I want to bring the positivity out of every situation. But I can sit here and say I lost three years of my career because I was in a car that was right at the back of the grid and I couldn't fight for the wins.
Or you can see all the positives from my time there. I look back on those years and I'm thinking now, 'Yeah, I probably learned more racing in the back than some of my opponents who were thrown into the deep end from the start did.'
"Some drivers have been thrown deep in the road early and it hurts their careers."
Verstappen's career rise has taken a different path than Russell's, with the Dutchman being promoted from Toro Rosso to Red Bull in 2016 while still a teenager.
However, Russell wonders if the two-time world champion might have had a more difficult time if he joined Mercedes.
"For example, Max Verstappen obviously got his promotion after 18 months, but maybe if he joined a team like Mercedes against Lewis Hamilton at his peak, it could have damaged his career," said the Briton.
"So you have to look at it from both sides and certainly Max has been a better driver after three or four years under his belt than he has been after 18 months under his belt.
"If you were to encounter a man who is completely in his prime and commanding the automobile he is accustomed to, he probably wouldn't be in the position he is in today."
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Russell is happy at Mercedes
With this hypothetical situation in mind, Russell is pleased with how things have turned out for him.
He added, "I should be grateful to the people who advised me, helped me, and nurtured me into this position."
“In those three years that have passed, I could probably fight at a little higher level, but if I hadn't been in a Mercedes I wouldn't have been fighting for championships. So what's the difference for me?
"At the end of the day, I want to win trophies and if I'm at the back of the net or let's say if I'm fighting for the best sevens, to be honest, it makes no difference. In the end, I'm happy with where I am now."
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