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George Russell, in his three years as an F1 driver, has proven himself on several occasions to be a class apart. The Briton replaces Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes for the 2022 season and is anticipated to be a force to be reckoned with in a multiple championship-winning team. Coming from Williams, arguably one of the slowest cars of the last three seasons, Russell optimized every opportunity to demonstrate his talent on the track and had his best season so far in 2021. Expected to be fighting for race wins and eventually championship titles, "Mr. Saturday" is set to compete in a whole new league.
3 times George Russell proved capable of championship contention
#1 2019 Monaco Grand Prix
George Russell, in his rookie year, drove a phenomenal race at arguably one of the trickiest circuits on the grid, Circuit de Monaco. On the face of it, making it to the fifteenth from the back of the grid may not seem as impressive. It is, however, worth noting that for the majority of the race, Russell was driving at the same level as some of the stronger mid-field cars such as Alfa Romeo and Racing Point, in an otherwise significantly slower car. The Monaco Grand Prix gave the paddock their first glimpse into what the Englishman had to offer and why the Silver Arrows placed their faith in him in the first place.
#2 2021 Belgian Grand Prix
While the 2021 race in Spa will go down in history as one of the most unconventional Grand Prix weekends, it also gave George Russell his maiden podium position. What's most impressive about the podium is that the Briton managed to qualify faster than every single car on the grid except the Red Bull of world champion Max Verstappen. Under bizarre wet-weather conditions, Russell optimized every opportunity and flew past the checkered flag with a provisional pole on Saturday, until it was taken by the Dutchman. The final race on Sunday was spent by cars completing only a handful of laps behind the Safety Car, with several red flags causing delays before concluding, leaving the Williams in second.
#3 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix
George Russell drove in place of Lewis Hamilton, who tested positive for coronavirus, at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Russell managed to take the lead from Valtteri Bottas after qualifying 0.026s behind him on the very first lap and drove a sensational race. The Grand Prix, however, came to a devastating end for both Mercedes', with disaster after disaster striking the team. The events left Russell, who showed sufficient pace to take his maiden race win, in a disappointing ninth. While the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix ended in heartbreak for the Briton, the race was a testament to Russell's talent and his potential in a Mercedes.
