George Russell is waiting to discover the identity of his new teammate at Mercedes. Over the winter, he learned that this would be his final year alongside the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
Russell has performed well against Hamilton during their partnership. He beat him at the first attempt in 2022, and while the seven-time world champion struck back last year, Russell has dominated the head-to-head lately.
He leads 5-1 in both qualifying and race trim this season and is 10 points ahead in the championship. Given that Hamilton is the most successful driver in F1 history, Russell will now back himself against anybody.
That will even include the title-holder Max Verstappen. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff held talks with the Dutchman following the Miami Grand Prix last week.
A more realistic option for Mercedes might be Carlos Sainz, the victim of Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. Sainz is apparently ‘convinced’ he could defeat Russell over the course of a full season.
The former Williams driver will hope to ascend a team leader role after a seismic shift at Brackley. But much will depend upon the identity of his new partner.
George Russell would expect to beat Kimi Antonelli ‘no problem’
Mercedes could also take a rather sensational gamble and promote academy driver Kimi Antonelli to a seat for 2025. Antonelli has also only just started out in Formula 2 but Mercedes have been putting him through his paces in a private testing programme.
After a ‘stunning’ performance in his outing at Imola earlier this month, the Italian took to the track at Silverstone this week. The team allowed him to chase lap time on a low-fuel, soft-tyre run.
Williams have requested special dispensation to field Antonelli in place of Logan Sargeant before he turns 18 in late August. Russell spent three years at Grove before he made the step up to Mercedes.
Antonelli is regarded as a generational talent at the same level as Charles Leclerc or Verstappen. But journalist Peter Windsor feels Russell would be bullish about that particular match-up for 2025.
“What will he be thinking now?” Windsor said of Russell. “He’s thinking ‘well Lewis is going, they may get a plug-in driver for one year and they may get Sainz. But then it’s going to be Antonelli and I’ll have him for breakfast, that’s no problem. I’ve just got to make sure I’m the chosen one for the future.”
Sebastian Vettel backs George Russell to be the next new F1 world champion
Russell joined Mercedes off the back of what was their eighth straight constructors’ championship at the end of 2021. Unfortunately for him, the team have dropped off since.
He would have expected to compete for regular race victories or potentially even championships when he made the move, but he’s only able to win one race so far. That maiden victory came at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2022.
Still, Sebastian Vettel is confident about his long-term prospects with the Silver Arrows. In a recent interview, he picked Russell as the next world champion not named Verstappen or Hamilton.
Intriguingly, Vettel seems to think he’s better placed than compatriot Lando Norris, who scored his first win in Miami last time out, or Ferrari’s Leclerc. But Mercedes need to deliver a worthy car first.
So deep into this set of rules, it feels unlikely that Wolff and co. will find an answer. But come 2026, F1 cars will be very different both internally and externally, and that could present an opportunity for one team to dethrone Red Bull.
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