George Russell on partnering Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and how he believes ‘my time will come’
George Russell looks into your eyes and seeps out his confidence as he describes how he feels into Formula One 1’s seventh season, his first being an effective leader for the Mercedes team.
“I know my time will come,” the 27-year-old Briton said. “And I just have to make sure I keep performing. It will come this year or next year.
“And if I keep delivering these results, like with the best drivers ever in the last three years, I’m sure I’ll be in the fight and hopefully be the world champion of my name.”
Russell’s confidence is deeply held, and he’s there as long as he’s racing. But it has been bred because of his time as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes.
Last year, Russell became the first racer in Hamilton’s 18-year career to beat the qualifying seven times throughout the season. Russell’s head-to-head score was 195, with an average advantage of 0.171 seconds per lap.
Russell has led the championship in two of them in their three years together since 2022.
There are warnings – especially Hamilton’s last year at Mercedes, he told the team that he was Leave them to the end of Ferrari.
But, as Russell said in an exclusive interview with BBC Sport: “The results speak for themselves. And I don’t have anything to prove or show.
“I am proud of what has been achieved with someone like Lewis.
“At the end of 2021, statistically, Lewis is the greatest ever. I’ve had three years of history and I’ve completed two of his three years as a teammate.
“If it’s a different era or a different era, then if you’re ahead of Lewis Hamilton, you’re the world champion.”
