Mercedes driver George Russell has won the prestigious Lorenzo Bandini Award, presented for achievements in motorsport.
This year Mercedes celebrates 100 years of winning the Targa Florio, and George travels from nearby Faenza to the awards ceremony in the village of Brisighella, at the wheel of a restored original Mercedes that raced in the Targa Florio in 1924. The ceremonial arrival will take place on Wednesday, May 15.
George Russell: “Mercedes-Benz has an incredible history in motorsport. Since joining the team in 2017, I enjoyed learning more about the team and started visiting the company museum in Stuttgart.
When the opportunity arose to get behind the wheel of one of the most legendary cars in the company’s history, I grabbed it with both hands. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Mercedes Targa Florio racing car with a 2 liter engine and understand how the best racers felt 100 years ago. The restoration work carried out by Mercedes-Benz Classic is, as always, unparalleled.
Driving such a great car, not only to celebrate such an important victory in the history of Mercedes-Benz, but also on the way to winning the Lorenzo Bandini Award, makes the day ahead very special. I look forward to a warm welcome for Brisighella and thank the committee for their generous choice.”
Winners of the Lorenzo Bandini Prize
| Year | Award winner |
| 2023 Lando Norris |
| 2022 Kevin Magnussen |
| Charles Leclerc from 2021 |
| No prize awarded in 2020 |
| Antonio Giovinazzi 2019 |
| Valtteri Bottas 2018 |
| 2017 Scuderia Ferrari team |
| Max Verstappen from 2016 |
| 2015 Mercedes AMG F1 team |
| 2014 Daniel Ricciardo |
| Piero Ferrari from 2013 |
| 2012 Bruno Senna |
| 2011 Nico Rosberg |
| Lewis Hamilton from 2010 |
| 2009 Sebastian Vettel |
| 2008Robert Kubica |
| Felipe Massa from 2007 |
| 2006 Mark Webber |
| Fernando Alonso from 2005 |
| 2004 Kimi Raikkonen |
| 2003 Michael Schumacher |
| 2002 Juan Pablo Montoya |
| Jenson button from 2001 |
| Jarno Trulli from 2000 |
| 1999 Alexander Wurtz |
| 1998 Giancarlo Fisichella |
| 1996 Jacques Villeneuve |
| David Coulthard, 1995 |
| 1992 Ivan Capelli |
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
