George Russell has been an F1 driver for 6 seasons now and is arguably at his peak. However, the Briton did not challenge for the world title despite driving for one of the top four teams. But things could turn in his favor in the coming year.
Russell will become Mercedes' main driver next year as Lewis Hamilton leaves for Ferrari in one of F1's biggest changes. The Briton looks set to lead the team in a new role and recently announced his bid for the F1 World Championship.
George Russell said (via the Times):
“I have been in F1 for six years now, next year will be my seventh and fourth year with the team. I absolutely feel ready to take it to the next level and I feel ready to challenge for a championship. I feel ready to fight against Max [Verstappen] and if we have the chance, I won't waste it.
“I’ve felt like I’ve been ready for three years. I'm teammates with the greatest driver of all time and if you ever finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton or beat him in a championship, you know that probably in 12 more seasons that would have been enough to win, or at least challenge for a championship of the world,” he added.
Russell spent three years at Williams in a latecomer car. However, the 26-year-old put in astonishing performances that earned him the Mercedes seat. However, by the time he joined the Brackley team, the new regulations were introduced and Mercedes were dethroned by Red Bull. The Briton, alongside Hamilton, suffered from a fundamentally flawed car for a few seasons.
2024 has Mercedes back on track as Russell on course to finish ahead Lewis Hamilton in the championship. The Silver Arrows have had a strong end to the campaign and are potential contenders for the 2025 championship. Russell echoed this mentality as he believes he is ready to compete for the championship if he has a competitive car .
'Everyone is beatable': George Russell highlights Red Bull's fall midway through 2024 season
The Mercedes driver commented on Lando Norris and McLaren's failure to capitalize on Max Verstappen and Red Bull's mid-season performance decline. Russell hopes to have a similar chance to capitalize on the championship opportunity by highlighting the mistakes made by McLaren. Russell then suggested that the driver is only as good as the car, as was the case for Red Bull.
George Russell said (via the Times):
“There is so much hype around Max. He's such an exceptional driver, but the fact is he's won one race in the last 12 and that shows that everyone is beatable because you're at the mercy of your race car. The difference with him this year is that he won every chance he had, and his rivals didn't.
With rookie Kimi Antonelli joining George Russell as a teammate for the 2025 season, the Briton has a great opportunity to lead the team to a championship, similar to what Hamilton did in the late 2010s.
Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar
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