George Russell is having a standout 2025 season, with two victories and eight podium finishes for Mercedes.
The Brit has been part of the Mercedes setup since 2017, beginning his career with testing roles at both the Silver Arrows and Force India. His break into Formula 1 came in 2019 when he signed with Williams.
Over three seasons at Williams, Russell built a strong reputation, particularly for his qualifying performances despite often being hampered by an uncompetitive car. Still, there were suggestions that the team found it challenging to work with him at times.
Toto Wolff later acknowledged that Russell may have stayed at Williams longer than necessary before moving him up to replace Valtteri Bottas in 2022. However, Russell’s first race appearance for Mercedes came even earlier than that.
He stepped in for Lewis Hamilton at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix when Hamilton was sidelined with COVID-19 and immediately made an impression behind the wheel of the dominant W11.
Russell knew he was ready for Mercedes title challenge after Sakhir 2020
In qualifying, Russell nearly took pole position but missed out by less than three hundredths of a second to teammate Bottas. He did, however, take the lead at the start and stayed in front for much of the race before a late puncture dropped him to ninth.
Even though it was a tough finish, Russell still looks back at Sakhir 2020 as the point when he realised he could compete for titles. “I think for me as well, you always believe in yourself as a driver, but you just never know until you get the chance,” Russell told the Mercedes YouTube channel before his 150th Grand Prix in Las Vegas.
“Can I win a race? Can I fight for a championship? And I think for me, that was like, I know I can do this now and given the equipment, I know I’ll take my chances.
“And we’re kind of in a similar boat today. We’re fighting, we’re winning races, we’re always there or thereabouts. But we want to fight for a championship now and I know that we can achieve it when the time comes.”
George Russell’s Mercedes career start was anything but normal
Russell qualified on the front row for his debut with the team, just under three hundredths of a second off pole position, which went to teammate Bottas.
Russell jumped the Finn at the start for the lead and held on for most of the race until a late puncture ruined his evening, leaving him to crawl home in P9. Despite the heartbreak, the 27-year-old looks back on Sakhir 2020 as the moment he knew he could fight for a championship.
He told the Mercedes YouTube channel ahead of his 150th race at the Las Vegas Grand Prix: “I think for me as well, you always believe in yourself as a driver, but you just never know until you get the chance.
“Can I win a race? Can I fight for a championship? And I think for me, that was like, I know I can do this now, and given the equipment, I know I’ll take my chances.
“And we’re kind of in a similar boat today. We’re fighting, we’re winning races, we’re always there or thereabouts. But we want to fight for a championship now and I know that we can achieve it when the time comes.”
READ MORE: F1’s new Fortnite partnership shows gaming now leads its youth strategy
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
