When Lewis Hamilton deemed George Russell “the future” of Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton referred to George Russell as the future of Mercedes back in 2021. Reacting to rumors of Russell replacing Valtteri Bottas to become his teammate from 2022, Hamilton praised the young driver for his promising racing talent.

In 2021, Russell, racing for Williams, beat Hamilton in the qualifying session for the 2021 Belgium Grand Prix. He finished P2 while the seven-time world champion settled for P3 as he was one hundredth of a second slower than the Williams driver.

However, that performance in Spa that year left the veteran British driver highly impressed. In 2021, rumors of Russell potentially replacing Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes for 2022 were already out.

At the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton weighed his opinion on George Russell's candidacy and deemed him the future of Mercedes. Talking to the media then, he said:

“I think George is an incredibly talented driver, clearly. I would say probably the only highlight from last week [at Spa] was his qualifying lap; it was amazing. I think he's humble, and I think he's got a great approach. Naturally, being British, I would imagine, probably helps in terms of communication."

“He's the future. He's one of the members of the future of the sport. I think he's already shown incredible driving so far, and I'm sure he’s going to continue to grow, so where better to do it than in a great team like this, or whatever team he goes to?”

George Russell eventually replaced Bottas in 2022 to become Hamilton's teammate and consistently challenged the seven-time world champion. In 2024, he beat Hamilton in 19 of the 23 qualifying sessions before the latter moved to Ferrari.

After Hamilton's departure, Russell became the lead driver for Mercedes as the team signed 18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli as Lewis' replacement for the 2025 season.

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George Russell backs Lewis Hamilton amid the latter's turbulent start with Ferrari

George Russell with Lewis Hamilton at the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain - Source: Getty

While George Russell is thriving as Mercedes' lead driver this year, Lewis Hamilton has hit a roadblock with Ferrari. He has failed to score a single podium in Grand Prix races, but did win a sprint race in China.

Meanwhile, despite a turbulent start, Russell believes in Hamilton's capabilities to turn the season around. Talking to Formula 1, he said:

“We saw it in China, the second race of the season, on pole in the Sprint, and he won the race comfortably. I know what he’s capable of, and it’s not easy going into a new team, and the competition is tough, but he’s an amazing driver, and I’m sure when things start to click, as they did in China, we’ll see more of that magic.”

Hamilton is struggling to adjust to the Ferrari car as it is different from the challenger he used to drive for Mercedes for the last 11 years. However, regardless of the disappointing start, Ferrari has vowed to back the seven-time world champion.