Formula 1: George Russell in line to break a Michael Schumacher record?

George Russell has put himself in position to break a record held by seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher simply by continuing to do what he has been doing since his career began. But it won’t be easy.

George Russell’s 14th place qualifying effort for this past Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix Formula 1 race at Bahrain International Circuit put him in elite company historically when it comes to qualifying performances.

Despite being just a 22-year-old second-year driver who competes for the sport’s backmarker team and has still never scored a point, Russell now trails only seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher and three-time world champion Ayrton Senna on an all-time list.

You read that correctly.

Through 36 Formula 1 races, Russell has never been outqualified by a teammate.

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He went 21 for 21 against former race winner Robert Kubica in his rookie season in 2019, and he is 15 for 15 to open up the 2020 season against rookie teammate Nicholas Latifi.

His 36th consecutive qualifying win matched Nelson Piquet’s streak from 1979 to 1982 for third place on the all-time list. For the record, the changes of pulling this off, assuming a 50/50 chance for each session, are 1 in 68,719,476,736 (0.0000000014551915%). That’s 68.7 billion, with a “B”.

Russell, who it goes without saying already holds — and has already added to for over a year — the all-time record for the most consecutive teammate qualifying battles won to start a Formula 1 career, has a chance to break the all-time record for the most consecutive teammate qualifying battles won in Formula 1 history.

He has a chance to do it without ever having lost a single one.

Schumacher recorded 56 teammate qualifying wins in a row from 1992 to 1995, and Senna recorded 44 in a row from 1985 to 1988.

All Russell needs to do is keep doing what he is doing, and he will break Schumacher’s record as a 23-year-old next year.

But it won’t be easy, as he won’t be with Williams for the penultimate race of the 2020 season.

With Lewis Hamilton having tested positive for COVID-19, Russell is set to drive for the championship-winning Mercedes team alongside Valtteri Bottas in this Sunday’s Sakhir Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit, with the possibility that he will be back with the team for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit next Sunday as well.

Bottas has 15 career pole positions, including four so far this year, and is able to beat the seven-time world champion in qualifying from time to time, so fending him off won’t be an easy task for Russell.

Should he manage to go 38 for 38, he would be well-positioned for the record, however. Both Russell and Latifi are set to return to Williams next year, and the former has shown no sign of slowing up in relation to his regular teammate.

Going 38 for 38 by the time the 2020 season ends would put him in position to tie Schumacher’s record in the 18th race on next year’s 23-race schedule and break it in the 19th.

While we all know how plans can change given what 2020 has thrown not only at Formula 1 but the world as a whole, the 18th race on the 2021 schedule is the Japanese Grand Prix and is scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 10 at Suzuka Circuit. The 19th race on the schedule is the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas.

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The qualifying session for the Sakhir Grand Prix is scheduled to take place tomorrow, and it is set to be broadcast live on ESPN News beginning at 11:55 a.m. ET. The race itself is set to be broadcast live on ESPN2 beginning at 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. Will Russell extend his streak to 37 in this session?

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