George Russell appears you within the eye and oozes self-belief as he describes how he feels as heads into his seventh season in Formulation 1, his first as efficient chief of the Mercedes crew.
“I do know my time will come,” the 27-year-old Briton says. “And I’ve simply bought to make sure that I carry on performing. And whether or not it is this yr or subsequent yr, it’s going to come.
“And if I preserve delivering these outcomes, as I did over these final three years in opposition to the perfect 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 yr, 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 top-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 closing yr at Mercedes got here after he had advised the crew 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 have to show or present.
“I’m happy with the outcomes I’ve achieved going up in opposition to any individual like Lewis.
“On the finish of 2021, statistically and by way of 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 unique time or a unique period, in case you 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 incredible 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 by way of uncooked velocity, I do not suppose you may 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 couple of crew that had employed Hamilton for 12 years. “It is a new chapter. And I do not all of a sudden really feel any extra accountability.”
And what does he suppose 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 incredible driver,” Russell says. “Little question about that. So I’ll be actually intrigued to see how that pans out as a result of they’re two superb drivers.
“He is clearly getting into an Italian crew 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 may be one massive elephant within the room as Mercedes head into 2025 – and its identify is Max Verstappen.
Crew boss Toto Wolff has mentioned the crew “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 crew – maybe as early as 2026.
If he succeeds, one of many present drivers – each of whom have been nurtured by the crew for years – must discover a seat elsewhere.
Russell is conscious of this as a possible situation, however professes to not be remotely involved about it.
“I do not suppose there’s any stress in any way,” he says “All I have to do is proceed doing what I am doing, proceed doing what I’ve accomplished my entire profession.
“In order that adjustments nothing. And it is not even one thing I am desirous about. As a result of I 100% again myself. It is so simple as that. You carry out and the whole lot might be there for you.
“I wish to go up in opposition to the perfect. I do not really feel that my capacity is in query.”
The Verstappen query is given added edge relating to Russell due to their private historical past. on the finish of final season and there’s
Russell says: “I wasn’t going to simply stand and be bullied round. Individuals appear to all the time again all the way 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 isn’t any love misplaced.
“I’ve by no means been scared to race in opposition to Max. I’ve all the time 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 suppose both of us proper now have a automobile that probably is able to beating the McLaren,” he says.
“McLaren, doubtless, look by far the strongest. Particularly their race tempo appears fairly spectacular.”
Mercedes received 4 races final yr – two every for Russell and Hamilton – and have come into 2025 hoping for a automobile with extra rounded skills that may be aggressive in all places, fairly than solely on sure tracks and in sure situations, as final yr.
“There’s undoubtedly enhancements all through the automobile, little doubt about it,” Russell says. “Naturally, there’s all the time one thing you want to work on.
“So, you recognize, we struggled a bit with low-speed understeer final yr. There’s nonetheless indicators of that that we’re nonetheless attempting to get on prime of, and we expect we have some issues within the locker to attempt to treatment these points. However undoubtedly the automobile’s feeling a bit extra collectively.”
‘Allow us to be genuine’
Russell’s focus this yr is not going to solely be on the observe. As a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation, he can even be compelled to confront the issues many in F1 have in regards to the conduct of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of governing physique the FIA.
A sequence of Ben Sulayem’s actions have lately, and over the winter, new guidelines codifying a course of by which have elevated issues.
Russell chooses his phrases fastidiously, however is agency in regards to the drivers’ convictions.
“Issues have gone a bit bit out of hand within the latest months with a number of the issues which were 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 if you’re the person who needs 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. It’s important to be certain that our feelings keep actual and true, particularly relating to the (in-car) radio, and probably 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 individuals, perhaps swearing shouldn’t be actually mandatory or required. However relating to that uncooked emotion, you want to allow us to be as genuine as potential.”
