George Russell opens up about finding joy in “small victories” during challenging 2025 season
George Russell has learned to celebrate the small wins in a 2025 season dominated by McLaren. Currently sitting fourth in the Drivers’ standings, the British driver has found a way to stay positive despite facing tough competition.
Russell has actually racked up more podium finishes than anyone except McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri this year. Pretty impressive when you think about it.
The 27-year-old Mercedes driver explained that he and his team have had to adjust their expectations and set more realistic goals for each race weekend.
“You have to take those small victories,” Russell shared on the Untapped podcast. “You’ve got to adjust your goals to a realistic goal for this given weekend.”
He’s not sugarcoating the situation either.
“To win the championship this year? It is not a realistic goal. Of course, we’re working towards that, but if we don’t achieve that goal, we shouldn’t be, you know, kicking ourselves because we’re just not in that position right now.”
Instead, Russell approaches each race with measured expectations.
“That’s when we’re going into every single race weekend thinking, right, we think we’ve got an opportunity to fight for the podium here.”
This mental approach has been crucial for maintaining his performance through ups and downs.
“You have to teach yourself to take those small victories; otherwise you’re going to get into a sort of negative spiral, a psychological struggle, and that’s only going to impact your performance.”
## Russell’s 2025 season highlights
Despite the challenges, Russell has managed to snag a race victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.
He’s also landed on the podium six times, with his most recent top-three finish coming at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
All this success comes amid swirling questions about his future at Mercedes. Team boss Toto Wolff has indicated he wants Russell to continue alongside Kimi Antonelli for 2026, but nothing’s set in stone yet.
For now, Russell seems focused on making the most of each race opportunity rather than dwelling on what might have been in a McLaren-dominated season.
