F1: George Russell in profile

bet365 News Team Updated: 27 May 24 14:05

George Russell has been in F1 for five seasons and hopes he finally has the car to showcase his talent in 2024.

Seen as a future world champion after a hugely successful career in junior racing series, Russell impressed in an uncompetitive car at Williams, but his move to a top team with Mercedes coincided with them having their worst two seasons for a decade.

The British driver has a point to prove after finishing a disappointing eighth-placed finish in the World Championship standings last season. He will at least be aiming to add to his solitary race win in the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Formula 1

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Born	15th February, 1998
Age	26
Birthplace	King's Lynn, UK
F1 current team	Mercedes
F1 previous team	Williams
F1 debut	2019 Australian Grand Prix
F1 titles	0
F1 2024 odds	22/1

George Russell's early racing record

Russell began karting at the age of seven and won the British cadet class aged 10 in 2008. More success followed and he was the European champion in 2011 and 2012.

He moved to single-seater car racing in 2014, winning the British Formula 4 Championship in his first season, and moved up to Formula 3 the following year, finishing sixth and third in his two seasons in that category.

Russell then won the two main support categories to F1 in back-to-back seasons, becoming GP3 champion in 2017 with the ART team and winning the Formula 2 championship at his first attempt in 2018, winning seven races to finish well clear of runner-up Lando Norris and third-placed Alex Albon.

George Russell's F1 years

Russell's first F1 appearance came when he drove for Force India in two practice sessions at the end of the 2017 season having joined the Mercedes junior programme earlier that year.

He made his F1 race debut for the Williams team in the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, finishing 16th, but failed to score a point all season in an uncompetitive car and had a best finish of 11th. However, he outqualified his experienced team-mate Robert Kubica in all 21 races.

It was the same story in 2020 as Russell again did not score a point for the back-of-the-grid Williams, but he went close to a first race win when getting a golden opportunity to step into the championship-leading Mercedes car.

World champion Lewis Hamilton was unable to compete in the Sakhir Grand Prix, so Russell partnered Valtteri Bottas as they filled the front row in qualifying with the Finn marginally ahead on pole.

Russell took the lead and held it deep into the race until a pit-stop blunder by the team forced him to stop on consecutive laps. He worked his way back up to second place until suffering a puncture, eventually finishing ninth with only the comfort of setting the fastest lap of the race.

That performance led to calls for Russell to replace Bottas at Mercedes in 2021, but he was made to wait a further 12 months, finishing 15th in the championship with Williams. He kept his name in the headlines when he qualified second in the wet at the Belgian Grand Prix and claimed the same place in the race, which lasted only three laps behind the safety car.

That was still good enough for a first podium finish, but Russell's move to Mercedes did not bring the expected results as the team hit a rough patch and Red Bull became the sport's dominant team.

Russell finished fourth in the championship in his first season with Mercedes, but he took his first pole at the Hungarian Grand Prix and claimed his first race victory at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Russell won the sprint race and the grand prix to give the team their only win of the season. He finished fourth in the championship, two places ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton.

The 2023 season saw Russell take a step back and finish eighth, with a best race finish of third in Spain and Abu Dhabi.

George Russell's 2024 prospects

The 2024 season is crucial for Russell's career. With teammate Hamilton leaving after this season, Russell has a final chance to show his speed relative to the seven-time world champion in the same car and to prove he is capable of leading the team once his fellow Brit moves on to Ferrari.

As Russell is contracted for the 2025 season, it might be natural for the team to begin to favour him over Hamilton, particularly with regard to involvement in planning for the 2025 car as they would not want Hamilton to take any knowledge of that to Ferrari.

Mercedes have had a major car redesign for the 2024 season and if it is successful in putting them back in the hunt for race wins on a regular basis, Russell's talent should enable him to secure an improved points haul.

After a decline in performance in 2023, the pressure is on Russell to show he can be the long-term leader of the team as they enter a new era in 2025.