Lewis Hamilton‘s blockbuster move to Ferrari has thrust George Russell into a surprising new role at Mercedes – the team’s veteran driver at just 26 years old.
It’s quite a shift for Russell, who until now has been seen as one of F1’s young guns. But with a wave of fresh faces hitting the grid in 2025, he’s suddenly finding himself in unfamiliar territory.
“There are a lot of great young drivers coming onto the grid, and it makes you realize you’re no longer the youngster,” Russell says. “I’m entering a new chapter in my career. I’m ending my beginning and entering the mid stage.”
The timing could be perfect. Russell points out that some of F1’s greatest success stories came during drivers’ prime years.
“Lewis was 29 when he joined Mercedes and started winning all those championships, and Michael [Schumacher] was early 30’s at Ferrari.”
Russell feels ready to step up as Mercedes’ lead driver. “The most important part is driving as quickly as possible, and I feel in a good place to do that,” he says. “But I’ll continue to want to learn and be open and take nothing for granted.”
He’ll need that mindset with his new teammate, 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who’s already being called a racing prodigy. The Italian youngster is one of six rookies joining F1’s full-time grid next season.
“He’s such a fantastic driver,” Russell says of Antonelli. “He doesn’t have the experience yet, but I’m sure he’ll be up to speed very quickly.”
The two have already started building their working relationship at Mercedes.
“We’ve both been racing from a young age and we know what needs to be fed back to the team,” Russell explains. “He’s young, but his opinion will be just as valid.”
Team boss Toto Wolff has been trying to manage expectations around Antonelli’s debut, but Russell’s clear about one thing – this new generation of drivers means business.
“There’s no doubt these guys coming in are going to be competitive.”
