George Russell

George Russell belongs to a generation of drivers who reached Formula 1 through an almost textbook progression up the junior ranks. The British driver made his name with karting victories, single-seater titles and, later, an ability to impress in Formula 1 even without competitive machinery. His journey from his first races to the Mercedes works team is a story of steady progress, patience and taking opportunities when they arose.

Russell was born on 15 February 1998 in King's Lynn, Norfolk, the youngest of Steve and Alison Russell's three children. Motorsport was part of his life from an early age. His older brother Benjy raced karts, so George grew up around karting circuits. He first drove a kart at the age of seven and began competing regularly in 2006.

Even in karting, he established himself as one of the most successful British talents of his generation. In 2010, he won the ROTAX Mini Max title in the British Super 1 championship and gradually made his mark internationally. One of his most significant karting achievements was winning the FIA European KF3 Championship in 2012.

First single-seaters and rapid progress

He moved into single-seaters in 2014. In his debut season, he won the British BRDC Formula 4 Championship, taking five victories during the year. His performances also earned him the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, presented to promising British drivers.

A move to European Formula 3 followed. Across the 2015 and 2016 seasons, he gained experience first with Carlin and then with Hitech GP. He finished third overall in his second year in the championship, confirming his status as one of the most exciting young drivers outside Formula 1.

At the end of 2016, his career could have taken a very different direction. Russell was close to a move into the German touring car championship, DTM, and also tested with BMW. Instead, he received an offer that would have a profound influence on his future: a place in the Mercedes junior programme.

Russell later recalled that he had actively pursued a place in the Mercedes system and personally outlined his ambitions to the team's management. At the end of 2016, he received a phone call from head of driver development Gwen Lagrue offering him a place in the programme. He duly became an official Mercedes junior from the 2017 season.

Two titles in two years

The next two seasons proved decisive in his journey to Formula 1.

In 2017, he joined ART Grand Prix in GP3. He won the title at his first attempt, taking four race victories during the season. He also began working directly with Mercedes and had his first taste of Formula 1 machinery during a test at the Hungaroring.

A year later, he stepped up to Formula 2, again with ART Grand Prix. Once again, he needed no settling-in season. In a strong field that included future F1 drivers Lando Norris and Alexander Albon, he won seven races and claimed the Formula 2 title.

Two titles in successive seasons made him one of the most sought-after young drivers of his generation. He also served as Mercedes' reserve driver in 2018. Formula 1 was the next logical step.

Williams: a tough Formula 1 apprenticeship

Russell made his Formula 1 debut with Williams in 2019. The timing, however, was challenging. The historic British team was enduring one of the most difficult periods in its history, and its car was among the least competitive on the grid.

As a result, Russell had few opportunities to fight for points during his early seasons. Nevertheless, he began building a reputation, particularly through his qualifying performances. In his debut season, he outqualified team-mate Robert Kubica at all 21 grands prix. That ability to extract the maximum from a car over one lap later earned him the nickname “Mr Saturday”.

His time at Williams was also a test of patience. Russell spoke openly about how difficult it was to arrive at race weekends knowing that the car's limitations effectively ruled out a fight at the front. However, he also described it as an important learning experience, during which he learnt to work with a team and maintain a high level of performance without the immediate reward of results.

Sakhir 2020: the weekend that changed his standing

The biggest opportunity of his career to that point arrived unexpectedly at the end of the 2020 season. Lewis Hamilton was unable to contest the Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19, and Mercedes called up Russell as his replacement.

For the young Briton, it was his first chance to show what he could do in a race-winning car. He qualified just 0.026 seconds behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas and was almost immediately in contention for victory in the race. He took the lead at the start and controlled much of the race.

His chance of a maiden victory was undone, however, by a chaotic Mercedes pit stop in which he was fitted with the wrong set of tyres, followed later by a puncture. Nevertheless, he scored his first Formula 1 points and, above all, showed that he could adapt immediately to a front-running car.

Sakhir became one of the defining moments of Russell's career. Although the result did not reflect his pace, his performance significantly strengthened the case that he was ready for a seat at the Mercedes works team.

First successes with Williams

By 2021, Williams had taken a step forward in performance, and Russell began translating his qualifying results into more significant race achievements.

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, he scored his first points as a Williams driver. A few weeks later came the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, where he sensationally qualified second in the wet.

The race itself effectively never took place because of extreme weather, with the classification established after a few laps behind the safety car. Despite the unusual circumstances, Russell secured second place and his first Formula 1 podium. It was Williams' first podium for several years.

After three seasons with the British team, it was clear that Mercedes would be his next step.

Mercedes and a first Formula 1 victory

From the 2022 season, Russell became a full-time Mercedes driver alongside seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. He was also the first graduate of the Mercedes junior programme to reach its Formula 1 works team.

His arrival, however, coincided with a major change in the technical regulations. Mercedes, which had previously won eight consecutive constructors' titles, initially struggled with the new generation of cars.

Nevertheless, Russell delivered a consistent first season. He scored points regularly, took several podiums and finished ahead of Hamilton in the final championship standings.

The standout moment came at the São Paulo Grand Prix. Russell won the sprint before going on to win the main race. It was his first Formula 1 victory and Mercedes' only win of the 2022 season. Hamilton finished second, giving the team a one-two.

Establishing his position

The 2023 season saw Mercedes continue its search for a way back to regularly fighting for victories. Russell added further podium finishes and made his 100th Formula 1 start at the United States Grand Prix. At the end of the season, he helped Mercedes secure second place in the Constructors' Championship.

A more significant improvement in results came in 2024. At the Austrian Grand Prix, he capitalised on the battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris to take his second Formula 1 victory. He later won the Las Vegas Grand Prix, converting pole position into victory.

The season also brought more painful moments. In Belgium, he crossed the line first but was disqualified after the race because his car was below the mandatory minimum weight. Victory therefore went to Hamilton.

Nevertheless, during this period Russell showed that he could win not only when circumstances played into his hands, but also through a dominant performance across an entire weekend.

After Hamilton's departure

Another major change came ahead of the 2025 season. Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari, leaving Russell as the considerably more experienced member of Mercedes' new driver pairing. His team-mate was another graduate of the Mercedes junior programme, young Italian Kimi Antonelli.

In this position, Russell took on a greater role in leading the team on track. He ended the season with victories in Canada and Singapore. In Montreal, he took pole position, victory and fastest lap, recording his first complete Formula 1 “hat-trick”.

His progression from Mercedes-backed junior to one of the works team's leading drivers thus took on a symbolic significance. Having joined the programme as a 19-year-old talent, he gradually worked his way into a position in which he was expected to be one of the pillars of the marque's next era in Formula 1.

A new technical era

The major change in technical regulations for the 2026 season opened another chapter in his career. Mercedes once again became one of the teams capable of regularly fighting for victories, with Russell remaining alongside Antonelli.

In the early stages of the new era, Russell won several grands prix, including Australia, Austria and Azerbaijan. During the season, he also made his 100th start for Mercedes, counting his one-off appearance for the team at Sakhir in 2020.

His career had now reached a stage at which he was no longer seen as a young driver waiting for an opportunity, but as an established grand prix winner and one of the experienced members of the grid.

Life outside the cockpit

Russell is known for his meticulous approach to physical preparation. Running, strength work and other forms of fitness training are a natural part of his routine, while padel is among the sports he plays in his spare time.

He has also previously been heavily involved in sim racing. During the suspension of real-world racing in 2020, he took part in Formula 1's virtual events and became the overall winner of the Virtual Grand Prix series.

Other interests he has spoken about publicly include travelling and freediving. Even away from the track, however, much of his life remains centred on sport and preparing to race.

Since 2021, he has also served as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, the organisation representing the interests of Formula 1 drivers. The role involves discussions about safety, sporting regulations and issues affecting the drivers themselves.

In his private life, he has been in a long-term relationship with Carmen Montero Mundt, to whom he became engaged in 2026.

A career built on patience

Russell's journey to Formula 1 was not built on one breakthrough result. Instead, its defining feature was a succession of achievements: karting victories, the British Formula 4 title, strong results in Formula 3 and then back-to-back championship titles in GP3 and Formula 2.

After arriving in Formula 1, unlike during his most successful junior years, he had to wait several seasons for machinery capable of delivering significant results. Yet those years at Williams laid the foundations for his reputation as a driver capable of performing consistently even in difficult circumstances.

Sakhir 2020 offered the first glimpse of what he could do in a front-running car. His subsequent move to Mercedes brought his first victories and, gradually, greater responsibility within one of the most successful teams in modern Formula 1.

The young karter from Norfolk thus became a grand prix winner, a long-standing member of the Mercedes family and one of the drivers to reach the pinnacle of motorsport with titles in both of the main junior series immediately below Formula 1.