George Russell appears you within the eye and oozes self-belief as he describes how he feels as heads into his seventh season in Components 1, his first as efficient chief of the Mercedes workforce.
“I do know my time will come,” the 27-year-old Briton says. “And I’ve simply acquired to make sure that I carry on performing. And whether or not it is this 12 months or subsequent 12 months, it’s going to come.
“And if I hold delivering these outcomes, as I did over these final three years in opposition to the most effective driver of all time, I consider I’ll get myself within the combat and hopefully a world championship to my identify.”
Russell’s self-confidence is deeply held, and has been there for so long as he has been racing. But it surely has been nurtured by the point he spent at Mercedes as team-mate to Lewis Hamilton.
Final 12 months, Russell grew to become the primary driver in Hamilton’s 18-year profession to comprehensively beat the seven-time champion in qualifying over a full season. The pinnacle-to-head rating was 19-five to Russell, at a median benefit of 0.171 seconds a lap.
And over their three years collectively since 2022, Russell completed forward within the championship in two of them.
There are caveats – not least that Hamilton’s ultimate 12 months at Mercedes got here after he had instructed the workforce he was .
However, as Russell places it in an unique interview with BBC Sport: “The outcomes converse for themselves. And I haven’t got something I must show or present.
“I’m happy with the outcomes I’ve achieved going up in opposition to someone like Lewis.
“On the finish of 2021, statistically and when it comes to notion, Lewis was the best of all time. And I’ve had three years in opposition to the best of all time, and I completed forward of him two out of the three years I had as team-mates. And completed forward extra instances in ‘quali’ and extra instances within the race.
“If this was a special time or a special period, if you happen to end forward of Lewis Hamilton, you are a world champion.”
A brand new child on the block
With Hamilton’s departure, Russell, turns into the senior driver at Mercedes. His new team-mate is Andrea Kimi Antonelli, an 18-year-old Italian prodigy who has been on Mercedes’ books for a number of years.
“He is an important child,” Russell says. “He is very younger, however he is a very nice man. Tremendous-fast, in fact.
“Being thrown in on the deep finish, which goes to be a giant problem. However when it comes to uncooked velocity, I do not assume you possibly can query it. And there is going to be an fascinating new dynamic.”
Hamilton’s departure, Russell says, referencing the explosion of curiosity the transfer to Ferrari has created, “has been good for everybody”.
“That is turning a web page,” Russell says a few workforce that had employed Hamilton for 12 years. “It is a new chapter. And I do not all of a sudden really feel any further accountability.”
And what does he assume Hamilton faces at Ferrari, alongside new team-mate Charles Leclerc, in opposition to whom Russell has raced since they have been boys in karting?
“Charles is a unbelievable driver,” Russell says. “Little doubt about that. So I will be actually intrigued to see how that pans out as a result of they’re two wonderful drivers.
“He is clearly coming into an Italian workforce the place Charles has been very a lot the primary for the previous six years. It is fairly an fascinating dynamic, however I believe it’s going to be shut between the 2 of them.”
‘I wasn’t going to be bullied by Verstappen’
There’s one huge elephant within the room as Mercedes head into 2025 – and its identify is Max Verstappen.
Workforce boss Toto Wolff has stated the workforce “very a lot hope that the 2025 line-up would be the line-up going ahead”. However it’s no secret that that and nonetheless has hopes of attracting him to the workforce – maybe as early as 2026.
If he succeeds, one of many present drivers – each of whom have been nurtured by the workforce for years – must discover a seat elsewhere.
Russell is conscious of this as a possible state of affairs, however professes to not be remotely involved about it.
“I do not assume there’s any stress by any means,” he says “All I must do is proceed doing what I am doing, proceed doing what I’ve executed my entire profession.
“In order that modifications nothing. And it is not even one thing I am fascinated with. As a result of I 100% again myself. It is so simple as that. You carry out and all the pieces might be there for you.
“I need to go up in opposition to the most effective. I do not really feel that my potential is in query.”
The Verstappen query is given added edge on the subject of Russell due to their private historical past. on the finish of final season and there may be
Russell says: “I wasn’t going to simply stand and be bullied round. Individuals appear to at all times again right down to him. And that is simply not how I’m going about my enterprise.
“I am not there to be greatest mates with a world champion. I am right here to win. And that is his mentality as properly. There is not any love misplaced.
“I’ve by no means been scared to race in opposition to Max. I’ve at all times put up a combat.”
‘McLaren look fairly spectacular’
Tense because the scenario could also be between Russell and Verstappen, any battles between them will not be for a race win firstly of the season, Russell believes.
“I do not assume both of us proper now have a automobile that doubtlessly is able to beating the McLaren,” he says.
“McLaren, no doubt, look by far the strongest. Particularly their race tempo appears fairly spectacular.”
Mercedes received 4 races final 12 months – two every for Russell and Hamilton – and have come into 2025 hoping for a automobile with extra rounded skills that may be aggressive in every single place, fairly than solely on sure tracks and in sure situations, as final 12 months.
“There’s undoubtedly enhancements all through the automobile, little question about it,” Russell says. “Naturally, there’s at all times one thing it’s good to work on.
“So, you understand, we struggled a bit with low-speed understeer final 12 months. There’s nonetheless indicators of that that we’re nonetheless attempting to get on prime of, and we predict we have some issues within the locker to attempt to remedy these points. However undoubtedly the automobile’s feeling a bit extra collectively.”
‘Allow us to be genuine’
Russell’s focus this 12 months is not going to solely be on the monitor. As a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation, he can even be compelled to confront the issues many in F1 have concerning the conduct of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of governing physique the FIA.
A sequence of Ben Sulayem’s actions have in recent times, and over the winter, new guidelines codifying a course of by which have elevated issues.
Russell chooses his phrases rigorously, however is agency concerning the drivers’ convictions.
“Issues have gone a bit bit out of hand within the latest months with among the issues which have been happening,” he says, including that he feels the FIA’s stance is “pointless”.
“Not solely we’re racing drivers,” he says, “we’re personalities, and in case you are the person who desires to swear as a lot as you want, that has a sure impression in your model and your notion whatever the FIA getting concerned.
“There’s instances and a spot. You need to be certain that our feelings keep actual and true, particularly on the subject of the (in-car) radio, and doubtlessly an interview straight after the race. That is what’s so pure about it.
“For those who’re speaking on a Thursday afternoon in entrance of quite a few folks, possibly swearing isn’t actually essential or required. However on the subject of that uncooked emotion, it’s good to allow us to be as genuine as potential.”
