George Russell is regarded highly as one of the most exciting young drivers in the Formula One (F1) grid. A Williams F1 Driver in 2019-21 and now a Mercedes F1 Driver, Russell’s claimed the accolades of 2017 GP3 Champion and 2018 Formula Two (F2) Champion. However, the big, looming question is – does Russell have what it takes to beat his teammate, 7-time World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton? Could Russell be the perfect replacement for the team when Hamilton retires? Could he lead the team forward into a new era of young drivers? And could he be the next Formula One World Champion?
Few drivers in recent memory have been as dominant as Russell in their junior careers. For example, he won the 2017 GP3 season in such a dominant fashion that he was 80 points ahead of first runner-up Jack Aitken. This gap between the top two contenders was even bigger than the point difference between 2nd place and 10th place – a stunning showcase of Russell’s ability. In the 2018 F2 season, he won the championship again in his rookie year, beating many notable names and future F1 drivers including Alex Albon, Lando Norris and Nicolas Latifi. At the finale in Abu Dhabi, he was almost 70 points ahead of 2nd place. This gap was bigger than the point difference between 2nd place and 6th place.
It was announced before the 2018 F2 season concluded that Russell had signed a multi-year deal with the Williams F1 Racing team and would be driving alongside Robert Kubica. The biggest challenge for Russell was not to beat his teammate, but the fact he was in a car that was significantly slower than the rest of the field. It was a common sight for Williams’ Drivers to start at the last row of the grid, with 2019 being Williams’ worst year. The only comfort for Russell was that not once did Kubica outqualify him.
2020 was drastically better for Russell and the team as not only did they get more funds via a new sponsor, their car for the 2020 season was miles ahead of their 2019 counterpart. This time he was paired up with fellow F2 rookie Nicolas Latifi, who Russell also practically destroyed. This was most evident in their qualifying battle, with Russell making many Q2 (second round) appearances. We thought this would be it for Russell. Little did we know that something massive for his career would come.
At the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would not be in attendance due to him having contracted COVID-19; Russell would be stepping into Hamilton’s Mercedes-AMG F1 W11 EQ racecar instead. Russell stunned at the Bahrain Oval circuit, setting multiple fastest times during practice. However, an unfortunate mixed tire set and a rear left puncture caused him to miss out on getting his first podium or win.
The 2021 season for George Russell and Williams as a whole was a lot better and the general pace for both drivers increased as their new FW43B racecar model was an improvement from their previous FW43. It was an emotional week at Hungary as both Williams drivers scored points, with a 7th place finish for Latifi and Russell one place behind. More frequent Q2 (round two) and Q3 (round three) appearances by Russell gave us more hope in terms of more points being scored more frequently by both drivers.
The Belgium Grand Prix was arguably one of the best weekends for George Russell, coming into the weekend, Williams looked pretty good, with Russell in a pretty strong position in all free practice sessions. But no one expected that Russell would not only get into Q3 and qualify on the front row, barely behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. This meant that George Russell had out-qualified the 7 time world champion, Sir Lewis Hamilton, in a Williams. Due to the race being red flagged and later on canceled, George Russell has earned himself a podium in Formula One. The circumstances were a bit weird, but in Russell’s own words, “a podium is a podium, no matter what.”
After it was confirmed that Valtteri Bottas would in fact be leaving Mercedes to join Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 team for 2022, everyone knew it was coming and it was Russell’s chance to finally drive for Mercedes. A few days later, it was officially confirmed that George Russell would be partnering with Sir Lewis Hamilton. The question everyone is now asking, does Russell have what it takes to beat Hamilton?
As big of a George Russell fan I really am, I don’t think so. Even though I think Russell is good enough to beat Hamilton, I believe it would take some time in order for this to happen as it is normal for drivers to take some time to get used to how a new team functions. But due to being a development driver and stand-in, Russell has already got some experience working with Toto Wolff and other members of the team. Russell has what it takes to take it to Valtteri Bottas in the same car at the Sakhir and definitely has enough talent to be one of the fastest on the 2022 grid alongside other established drivers like Hamilton, Perez, Verstappen etc.
In conclusion, Russell is the perfect replacement for the departing Bottas at Mercedes. He is beloved by all of the fans, has the talent and the junior formula results to back it, 3 years of experience competing at this highest level in Formula One and the backing of Mercedes Petronas Formula One Team boss, Toto Wolff. All Russell needs is to build his confidence with the 2022 Mercedes W13 and gain more experience battling with the Red Bulls, Ferraris and McLarens at the front for podiums and wins. And only then, I can confidently say that George Russell can and will surpass Lewis Hamilton and be his successor at Mercedes F1 team, going into the new generation of Formula One.
