George Russell

George William Russell was born on February 15, 1998, in King's Lynn, Norfolk, England. He began karting at the age of seven and rose through the British karting ranks before moving to single-seater racing. In 2014, he competed in the BRDC Formula 4 Championship, winning the title. He then progressed to Formula 3, racing in the European Championship with various teams before joining ART Grand Prix.

Russell's breakthrough came in 2017 when he won the GP3 Series championship with ART, and he followed it up with the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2018, beating Lando Norris and Alexander Albon to the title — the same cohort that would go on to populate the F1 grid. This championship victory earned him a place in Mercedes' programme and a race seat at Williams for 2019.

The three years at Williams (2019-2021) were formative. Despite consistently being given uncompetitive machinery, Russell barely put a foot wrong, regularly qualifying the Williams higher than it deserved and earning the nickname "Mr. Saturday" for his phenomenal qualifying record. In 2020, he was famously called up to replace Hamilton at Mercedes for the Sakhir Grand Prix when Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19. Russell qualified second and was leading the race comfortably before a pit stop error and a late puncture denied him victory. The performance left no doubt about his readiness for a top seat.

In 2021, Russell dragged the Williams into Q3 on multiple occasions and finished second at the Belgian Grand Prix (awarded due to a washout), further cementing his reputation. Mercedes confirmed him as Hamilton's teammate for 2022, replacing Valtteri Bottas.

Russell's first season at Mercedes in 2022 was remarkable. Despite the team struggling with the W13's porpoising issues, Russell scored consistently all season, never finishing lower than fifth in the first 15 races. He took his maiden F1 victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix in a dramatic race, and actually outscored Hamilton over the season, finishing fourth in the championship.

Since Hamilton's departure to Ferrari, Russell has stepped into the role of Mercedes team leader. His meticulous technical feedback, analytical approach, and ability to help guide car development have made him invaluable to Mercedes. Combined with his raw speed — particularly in qualifying — Russell is a complete package that Mercedes is building their future around.