George Russell arrived at Mercedes in 2022 to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton, but the Briton came on his own terms and made it clear that he won’t be driving second to anyone. And that’s something we witnessed across the season.

Lewis Hamilton was outscored by his teammate, who also registered consistent top-5 finishes and the team’s only win of the year. All of this is something that makes Nico Rosberg believe that Russell was the second-best driver on the grid in 2022, after Max Verstappen.

In his review of the top 5 drivers of the year, shot in Monaco, the former Mercedes driver and 2016 WDC winner, hailed George Russell as the better of the two Silver Arrows’ drivers.

He said, “It’s the first year in Mercedes, he did an incredibly consistent year with such a difficult car. They got this they got the car so wrong at the beginning of the season. They were trying to figure it out, doing different setups and everything. He was just always there, finished top five like almost every race this year. I mean it’s incredible, so you just gotta give your respect to that I think.”

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The other drivers in the top 5 were Charles Leclerc at third, followed by Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.

Nico Rosberg comparing George Russell to Lewis Hamilton

Nico had his fair share of battles with Hamilton during his time at Mercedes. The two fought for the title alongside each other during the Mercedes-ruled turbo-hybrid era.

While complimenting Russell, Rosberg compared him to his much more experienced teammate to show how far the young driver had come.

He added, “With Lewis Hamilton as a teammate, to beat him over the course of a whole year. And I think George just did a just did a really incredible season.”

“He was always fast. Even when Lewis, Lewis always has these special days you know. Very often where he’s untouchable but even then George was right behind him. He’s always right behind him at the very least and if not in front him, so really did a great job there.”

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The debut season for George Russell proved that the driver can easily get going and is ready for the challenge. Could he have a fair chance next year following Mercedes’ late catch-up last year?