“I guess I thrive off it, to be honest, and you just got to turn into positivity, really,” said Russell speaking exclusively to Express Sport at the British Grand Prix.

“Ultimately, all of the talks are generally positive that are being spoken about in the media, so that makes things slightly easier.

“But I just think to myself, just go out there and if I perform on track, there’s nothing to worry about.

 “So I just put all of my efforts and focus into doing a great job on the track and the rest will sort itself out, and it sounds a bit silly, but that’s the name of the game.

 “It’s all about lap time, It’s all about the performance and the rest is almost secondary.