"I'm in control of my own destiny": George Russell opens up on competing against Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

George Russell was a teammate of Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for three years after Russell joined the team in 2022. In a recent conversation, he opened up about his time driving alongside the seven-time world champion, asserting that he has controlled his destiny in the pinnacle of motorsport.

Russell joined Mercedes as a replacement for the outgoing Valtteri Bottas. Interestingly, the former was able to outperform Hamilton in the same machinery, as by the end of the campaign, he secured a fourth-place finish in the drivers' standings in comparison to Hamilton's sixth spot.

In 2023, the senior Brit was able to get the better of Russell, but in 2024, the latter bounced back to finish ahead of Hamilton in the drivers' standings. Russell secured sixth place and Hamilton ended in seventh.

With the seven-time world champion competing in Formula 1 for Ferrari, Russell has admitted that he sought psychological support when he first joined Mercedes as Hamilton's teammate back in 2022. In line with this, on the Untapped podcast, he had a conversation with his psychologist:

"When I go into the garage, I get into my car. I put on my helmet. I lower my visor. It shouldn't matter if my teammate is a seven-time world champion, a rookie, or if no one is there at all. Because I'm in control of my own destiny."

In the final year of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton as teammates at Mercedes, both secured two Grand Prix wins.

George Russell's take on 'fresh start' at Mercedes without Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton drove for the Mercedes Formula 1 team for over a decade, 2013-24. During this time, he amassed several accolades and made his exit from the team as an absolute legend.

In line with Hamilton joining Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season, George Russell believed that the change was needed for both parties, for Mercedes as well as for Hamilton. In an interaction with Motorsportweek, Russell added:

"It’s a different feeling within the team. But ultimately, you only look towards one thing, which is the performance. We obviously started really well. Now we’ve had a run of bad form. I hope we can get that back on track, but there’s always pros and cons to every change that you make in any organisation. "

"But I think the change was with Lewis. It’s good for him. It’s really good for us as a team; a fresh start. Sometimes you need to break that mould to find yourself back on track."

The 2025 Formula 1 season is 14 rounds down, and Lewis Hamilton is currently in sixth place in the drivers' standings. George Russell, on his end, is sitting in fourth place.