How Did Mercedes’ New Hero, George Russell Get Into F1?

George Russell is one of the most familiar names in the F1 paddock these days. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s needless to say that the young Brit is one of the top talents in Formula 1 right now. Moreover, the new stint with F1 giants Mercedes has put him on a whole new platform.

The man who once feared that his racing career would be over in his teenage has now reached the pinnacle of motorsport. Donning the suit of one of the most successful teams of all time and partnering with one of the greatest of all time, the rise is astonishing for George Russell.

George Russell started out young

Russell was born in King’s Lynn, UK. He started his racing career in 2006 at just eight years old. Progressing through the cadet ranks, Russell became the Kartmasters British Grand Prix Champion in 2008 and the British Open Champion in 2009. The following year, the young Brit became Super One British champion and Formula Kart Stars British champion.

George made his single-seater debut in 2014 when he joined Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Championship. Not only this, but the British international has also raced in Formula 4 alongside. In his very first season, Russell won the BRDC Formula 4 Championship by winning his fifth and the final race of the season.

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This feat fetched the boy from Norfolk the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award worth $122,000.

George Russell coming to fame

In 2015, George Russell got into FIA Formula 3 European Championship and managed to win the very first race of the season. Interestingly, he defeated both Charles Leclerc and Antonio Giovinazzi that day. It was just upwards and onwards for George from there on.

After a short stint at GP3 where he won the title, Russell moved up to F2 in 2018. He joined to race for the ART Grand Prix and was also nominated to be the reserve driver for Mercedes. George would later go on to win the F2 championship and register himself as one of the most celebrated young drivers of all time.

The young brit became the fifth rookie champion of the GP2/F2 category alongside Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hülkenberg, and Charles Leclerc. Moreover, he also has become the fourth driver after Hamilton, Hülkenberg, and Leclerc to win the GP3/F3 and GP2/F2 titles in consecutive seasons.

Making it big into F1

The boy from Norfolk joined Williams in 2019 as a rookie partnering with Robert Kubica. He finished the season in P20 without scoring a point. The following season in 2020, Russell partnered with his former F2 competitor Nicholas Latifi and scored his first ever F1 point that year.

Called in to replace covid-struck Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, George Russell shone brilliantly. The reserve driver at Silver Arrows just missed out on the pole by 26 milliseconds to Valtteri Bottas. After a hard, tough, and unlucky day at work, Russell managed to fetch three points for himself and the team. What could’ve been the first ever F1 victory for the young Brit, became a day of nightmare and also the day of first ever points.

And to the stars…

After a decent 2021 season at Williams, George Russell joined Mercedes to replace Valtteri Bottas. Racing alongside fellow Brit Lewis Hamilton in 2022, the stakes are all-time high for the former F2 champion. Over 60 starts and some fantastic performances at such a young age have got George the tag as the next-gen champion in F1.

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From becoming a regular face on the 2022 podiums to claiming his first ever pole at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix, the future for the young man seems very bright. Considering the form he’s in, George Russell could well be the next big thing at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton retires. Only time will tell.