George Russell F1 Profile & Career Stats

George Russell Biography

George Russell (GBR) Sahara Force India F1 VJM10 Test Driver. Brazilian Grand Prix 2017. Sao Paulo, Brazil.

On 12 October 2018 Williams announced the championship leader of the 2018 Formula 2 championship leader as one of their drivers for the 2019 F1 season. On the 16th of September, we already published that he was on pole for a seat at Williams.

Following a successful start to his career in karting, George Russell stepped into single-seater racing in 2014, winning the BRDC Formula 4 Championship at his first attempt as well as becoming the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award winner.

George progressed to the Formula 3 European Championship for two seasons, and then went on to win the GP3 championship in his rookie 2017 season with two races to spare. He stepped up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship this year, which he is currently leading, whilst also fulfilling a Test and Reserve Driver role for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport.

Russel's first drive in a Formula 1 car was for Force India back in 2017. He was allowed to drive the VJM10 of Sergio Pérez around the Interlagos circuit during FP1 of the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix. He drove the 12th quickest lap time of the session. He was almost 6-tenths of a second slower than Esteban Ocon in his first F1 experience.

George Russell (GBR) Williams Racing FW42. German Grand Prix, Saturday 27th July 2019. Hockenheim, Germany.

In 2018, he dominated the FIA Formula 2 championship and won the title ahead of Lando Norris and Alexander Albon after winning seven races with ART.

On the 12th of October of 2018, he was given a seat with Williams-Mercedes for 2019 to drive alongside Robert Kubica.

In 2019, he performed well during the first half of the season and dominated his teammate in every aspect, except on points, as Kubica scored a point in the German Grand Prix and Russell finished 11th, which was his best result of the year at that point. Russell dominated the Polish driver comfortably in qualifying and race position in the first 12 races.

After his good performance, many expected him to be in contention for a Mercedes seat in 2020; however, Mercedes' boss, Toto Wolff, indicated that only two drivers were under consideration, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon.

George Russell was not able to score points during the second part of 2019, but he continued his dominance over Kubica both on Saturdays and Sundays. His best results of the year were 11th at Germany and 12th at Brazil, but he definitely showed how capable and consistent he can be on race weekends.

In his quest to achieve his first points in Formula 1, Russell had some great performances in qualifying, putting his Williams in Q2 several times and always beating his teammate. However, his best chance for points came in the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and he crashed behind the Safety Car.

He replaced Lewis Hamilton for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix after the seven-time World Champion tested positive for Covid-19, and Russell qualified second before leading most of the race, but lost it due to pit-stop mistakes and a tyre failure.

Final season and first points with Williams before joining Mercedes; scores maiden podium

George Russell, Williams, 2nd position, with his trophy and Champagne during the Belgian GP at Circuit de Spa Francorchamps on Sunday August 29, 2021 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Alastair Staley / LAT Images)

George Russell was expected to replace Valtteri Bottas after the 2021 season, and many thought that he should've been with Mercedes long before that. Still, he served his final season with Williams in 2021 and helped the team finish eighth in the World Constructors' Championship, ahead of Alfa Romeo and Haas.

In the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, Williams took advantage of crashes in front of both its cars and scored points with its two drivers, Russell and Nicholas Latifi. Then, Russell qualified second in the rain at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, and the car's rain setup even helped Latifi qualify in ninth place.

Moreover, when torrential rain caused the race director to suspend the race (which never started), points were, strangely, given out based on the positions of Qualifying, and Russell earned his first 'podium' in Formula 1 at Spa.

Moreover, he had another great qualifying outing in the rain at Russia, and started the race in third place and finished 10th.

Russell did not score points in the remaining races, but on 7th September 2021, it was announced that Russell would be Lewis Hamilton's teammate at Mercedes from 2022.

Impressive start to his first full season with Mercedes, although with a struggling car

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, 2022 Hungarian GP. George Russell.

The 2022 Mercedes car, the W13, quickly showed that it wasn't on the same pace as the Red Bull and Ferrari.

Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and third in the first race, the Bahrain Grand Prix, but Russell managed to finish in the Top 5 in the following six races, including his first real podium in the 2022 Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton was allegedly testing new setups and gathering information for the team, according to several sources and Ross Brawn, F1's sporting director.

Still, Russell's consistency was impressive in his first few races as a full-time Mercedes driver. In the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, on 12 June 2022, Russell achieved the third podium of his Mercedes career with a third-place finish, keeping his run of Top-5 finishes in every race since the start of the season.

At the 2022 French Grand Prix, on 24 July 2022, Russell finished on the podium for the fifth time in his F1 career and his fourth with Mercedes.

F1 - Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, 2022 São Paulo GP. George Russell

On 30 July 2022, Russell became a Formula 1 pole-sitter when he put his Mercedes W13 in P1 during Q3. Russell led the race during the first stint ahead of the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. Then, his pace dropped a bit, and he finished third, behind Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Russell scored two podiums in the first three races after the 2022 summer break, finishing a career-best second at the Netherlands and third in the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. Those were the seventh and eighth podiums of his Formula 1 career.

In his 81st start in Formula 1, Russell became a Grand Prix winner when he triumphed in the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. He won Saturday's Sprint and started Sunday's race in P1 and drove a great race to win.

Russell finished his first season with Mercedes ahead of his teammate, the legendary Sir Lewis Hamilton. Russell was fourth in the 2022 WDC standings with 275 points.

Rough second season at Mercedes, far behind his teammate

(Photo by James Sutton / LAT Images)

After a good first season with Mercedes, many expected and even wanted Russell to beat his teammate Lewis Hamilton in 2023. However, the year was rough for Russell, as he found himself finishing behind Hamilton in 15 of the 22 races in the campaign.

Russell still finished two times on the podium, in Spain and Abu Dhabi. In Qualifying, Russell was at Hamilton's level, with the pair finishing the year tied 11-11.

The British driver also recorded one Fastest Lap during a race, during the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Russell finished eighth in the World Drivers' Championship with 175 points, nine Top-5 finishes, and a couple of podiums.

He showed speed during certain races, but also made a couple of mistakes that took him out of Grands Prix, mainly in Canada and Singapore (while fighting for the win).

2024 F1 season: Two wins

STREETS OF LAS VEGAS, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - NOVEMBER 22: George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15 during the Las Vegas GP at Streets of Las Vegas on Friday November 22, 2024, United States of America. (Photo by Simon Galloway / LAT Images)

Mercedes had another difficult season in 2024, with their drivers struggling with the car early on. Russell performed nicely in Qualifying, often ahead of his teammate, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes had a surge in performance in the middle part of the season, and Russell took advantage to grab Pole Position and third place in the race at Canada. Then, he won the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix after the two top runners (Max Verstappen and Lando Norris) had a crash.

Russell was also on Pole Position for the 2024 British Grand Prix, but had to retire from the race due to a mechanical issue.

Russell had finished first in the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, but his car was deemed illegal due to being underweight and he was disqualified from the event.

He achieved his third podium of 2024 with third place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez crashed in the late stages of the race.

He qualified on Pole Position for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix and won the race in a Mercedes 1-2. It was his third F1 win and the second of 2024.

SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 04 (Photo by Steven Tee/LAT Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202510040574 // Usage for editorial use only //

Russell finished sixth in the WDC with 245 points. He had four podiums and four Pole Positions in 2024.

Fourth in 2025 WDC: Two more wins

Russell was a standout driver during the 2025 F1 season. The Mercedes W16 was inconsistent throughout the year, but Russell made the most out of it.

He recorded two victories, winning in Canada and Singapore from Pole Position. He scored 319 points, the best tally of his career, and also achieved nine podiums, his best number for a single season.

His fourth place in the WDC equalled his career-best finish, previously achieved in 2022.

2026 F1 season

Russell started the season by winning the 2026 Australian Grand Prix in a dominant display for Mercedes. His teammate, Kimi Antonelli, completed a 1-2 for the team.

Afterwards, his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, took the lead in the championship, putting together a five-race winning streak while Russell struggled.

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - SEPTEMBER 26: Race winner George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on September 26, 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

Russell followed his win in the season opener with two podiums in the next six races, enduring a mechanical DNF at Canada when he was leading, although it was far from a certain win, as Antonelli was fighting for the lead.

He then won the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix from pole position. However, his first half ended badly, with a crash with Lewis Hamilton at Spa-Francorchamps and a lowly seventh in Hungary.

Throughout those weekends, Russell had complained about losing power in his car, which put him in risky situations in the middle of the pack.

After a difficult first half, Russell started the second half by winning the Sprint at Zandvoort. In the Grand Prix, he finished third, achieving his sixth podium of the year and his second at Zandvoort. It was also his 30th career podium, tying Juan Pablo Montoya.

Six races went between Russell's first two wins of 2026, and the same happened before his third win of the year. Six races after winning in Austria, Russell won from Pole Position in Azerbaijan, beating Max Verstappen on his way to a Grand Chelem (his first) and his eighth F1 victory.

Official George Russell website: https://www.georgerussell63.com/

George Russell F1 Helmets

George Russell Formula 1 Cars

George Russell Championship Results

George Russell F1 Seasons Summary

Year	Team	Engine	GP	1st	2nd	3rd	Pod	Pole	Laps	FL	Avg Pts	Points
2026	Mercedes	Mercedes	16	3	4	1	8	5	872	2	14.75	236
2025	Mercedes	Mercedes	24	2	3	4	9	2	1442	3	13.00	312
2024	Mercedes	Mercedes	24	2	0	2	4	4	1423	2	10.21	245
2023	Mercedes	Mercedes	22	0	0	2	2	0	1252	1	7.95	175
2022	Mercedes	Mercedes	22	1	1	6	8	2	1241	4	12.50	275
2021	Williams	Mercedes	22	0	1	0	1	0	1142	0	0.73	16
2020	Mercedes Williams	Mercedes Mercedes	17	0	0	0	0	0	910	1	0.18	3
2019	Williams	Mercedes	21	0	0	0	0	0	1182	0	0.00	0

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