George Russell has had a bit of a roller coaster time since his Brazilian GP win in 2022. Last season, Lewis Hamilton comfortably beat him in the championship, while 2024 has already seen a massive crash from the 26-year-old in Australia. Many deem Russell as a driver prone to mistakes like Singapore 2023 or Australia 2024, as opposed to what Mercedes want from him as a team leader. However, ex-Aston Martin strategist Bernie Collins feels that the young Briton is ready to lead the Silver Arrows as he “has been driving for a long time” now.
Speaking on The Fast and the Curious podcast, the hosts asked Collins what she feels about Russell as a team leader, with his mistakes in context. To this, she replied, “That doesn’t necessarily stop him [from] leading the team in terms of what an F1 car wants”.
Collins reasoned that a lead driver in F1 needs to be able to provide “good setup, good direction, good car development” for the team to progress ahead in the pecking order. She added, “He doesn’t need to be the best points scorer or the best qualifier.”
Russell is the de facto choice for Mercedes to bank on a lead driver after Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari. While there are talks about who will partner with him for 2025, Collins feels the Brackley team should choose a driver who can learn from the Briton. This will groom that driver to hit the ground running for the 2026 regulations.
The #63 driver has been in F1 for five years now. His performance is still very contingent on the kind of car he gets. So, if and when Mercedes develops a race-winning car, that would be the true litmus test of Russell as a leader.
George Russell’s big test in 2025
George Russell has more or less been on equal terms with Lewis Hamilton on almost all fronts. Their head-to-head qualifying and race record has been one of the closest on the current grid. Still, Russell struggled badly against the seven-time champion in 2023, finishing about 59 points behind his tally of 234 points.
So, this season would be his last test against Hamilton and a decisive one after Russell finished ahead in 2022. However, the 26-year-old’s big test will come in Hamilton’s absence, as Mercedes will start 2025 without the #44 driver for the first time in 12 years.
Russell needs to become the leader of the Silver Arrows and build the team around himself if he wishes to challenge for wins and championships. The current state of Mercedes is not helping the #63 driver’s job though. Be it aerodynamically or on the engine side, the German team lacks the advantage they had during the turbo hybrid era.
So, Russell has a big task ahead to inspire Mercedes and lead their revival in performance on the track. Toto Wolff trusts the Mercedes prodigy to stand up to this task and deliver as per his expectations, in Hamilton’s absence. Wolff has named Russell the team’s leader, so the 26-year-old has clarity about his role from next season.
