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George Russell has claimed that he could have had two championships to his name if he had been at Mercedes "five years prior." The 27-year-old pointed out that he finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the championship twice when they were teammates, and that would have meant winning the championship in the team's dominant era.
Russell was promoted to the Mercedes F1 seat in 2022, after he replaced Valtteri Bottas as Lewis Hamilton's new teammate. The Briton may have expected more after the move, though, as after he came into the team, the once-dominant Silver Arrows looked a shadow of their former selves. They have not been able to consistently fight for race wins in the last three years.
Speaking to The Athletic on Tuesday, Russell made the bold claim that he could have been a 2x F1 world champion if he had been at Mercedes just a few years earlier, as he beat his teammate Hamilton in two out of the three seasons together.
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"There was once a time that if you finished ahead of Lewis Hamilton in a championship or in a race, you’d win the race. Or, if you’d finish ahead of the championship, you’d win the championship," said Russell.
"If my time was five years prior, you could argue I’d have two championships in my name," he added.
While George Russell did beat Hamilton in two out of the three seasons that they were teammates at Mercedes, the former spent the time under the 7x world championships shadow, and was largely perceived as the second driver, at least in the media, if not by his team internally. Now that Hamilton has moved on to Ferrari, Russell has assumed the role of team leader at the German team, mentoring his rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli.
George Russell reflects on life at Mercedes post Lewis Hamilton
George Russell has shared that it was business as usual for him at Mercedes since Lewis Hamilton's departure from the team at the end of the 2024 season. The Briton claimed that while Hamilton had a large presence within the team, he remained settled at the Silver Arrows, as he entered his fourth year working out of Brackley.
Speaking to The Athletic, Russell spoke about the difference, or lack thereof, in his approach now that Hamilton was no longer part of the team.
"I’m just going about my business, as I have been the last couple of years. I’m working with the same group of engineers, the same group of mechanics," said Russell.
"Obviously, Lewis was such a large presence that you know that he’s not around. But on the day-to-day running of things, it is no different," he added.
While George Russell has had a stellar start to the season in 2025, Hamilton has looked to struggle in Italy, as he tried to settle into a new team after having spent 12 years at Mercedes. Russell sits fourth in the Drivers' standings, whereas Hamilton is down in P7, already 42 points behind his former teammate.
