George Russell is ready to take on his first season as Mercedes’ lead driver after three years alongside Lewis Hamilton. Looking back on his recent past, he now focuses on the future, where he will be partnered with young Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
During testing in Bahrain, Mercedes appeared to be in a strong position with its W16, though the true test will come in Melbourne. In the meantime, Russell has spoken about what lies ahead in his Formula 1 career, drawing confidence from his achievements so far in the top tier of motorsport.
“I know my time will come,” said the British driver. “I just need to make sure I keep giving my best. Whether it’s this year or next, it will happen. And if I continue to deliver results like I have over the last three years against the greatest driver of all time, I believe I can get into the fight and, hopefully, win a world title.”
The internal battle with Lewis Hamilton, now at Ferrari, lasted three seasons from 2022 to 2024 and helped George Russell establish himself as one of the most talented and capable drivers on the grid. Last year, for example, he decisively outperformed the seven-time world champion in qualifying, finishing the season with a 19-5 record.
In both 2022 and 2024, George Russell finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the championship standings, though last season saw the latter in a transitional phase, already aware of his future at Ferrari. Still, as George Russell stated in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport: “The results speak for themselves. I have nothing to prove or demonstrate. I am proud of the results I’ve achieved against a driver like Lewis.”
“At the end of 2021, statistically and in terms of perception, Lewis was the greatest of all time. And I spent three years going up against the greatest of all time, finishing ahead of him in two of those three seasons as teammates. I was ahead more often in qualifying and more often in races.” – he pointed out – “In another era, if you finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton, you were world champion.” – the British driver added.
These words carry weight, but they also highlight a crucial factor: since the introduction of the new regulations in 2022, with ground-effect cars, Mercedes has never been consistently at the top. In fact, the German team struggled significantly in the first two seasons, securing only one victory—courtesy of George Russell in Brazil. In 2024, Mercedes showed improved pace, winning four races in total, but it never had the consistency to challenge for the championship.
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