“The best place for myself over the next 15 years”: George Russell wants to end his F1 career at Mercedes

George Russell is a product of the Mercedes drivers academy and could probably be their strongest asset in the coming years. However, he had to wait for over three years before getting his break with the Silver Arrows.

Before getting his first Mercedes car, he had to serve at Williams. Where essentially, he got only uncompetitive cars. Only by 2021 could he score his first F1 points with them.

However, what made Russell cement his position in Mercedes for the future was his cameo for them in the 2020 season in Bahrain. The Briton replaced his compatriot Lewis Hamilton, who was out with COVID-19.

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George Russell wants to retire at Mercedes

Almost after 13-months later, to the Sakhir GP 2020, Russell reported to Brackley as the new Mercedes driver. And in the following months, he didn’t get a championship contending cars but still managed to get impressive results, including a win in Brazil.

While he is not competing for the championship, he is having a good time with the Silver Arrows and has said that he aspires to end his career at Mercedes by staying for over 15 years more.

“I see myself being with Mercedes for the remainder of my career,” said Russell. “If I look, where do I think the best place is for myself over the next 15 years? I think Mercedes.”

A similar sentiment is shared by his teammate Hamilton. Even he constantly reiterated in 2022 that he wants to finish his career at Mercedes. Though, for the 37-year-old, it’s far possible and unlikely to get affected by cruel reality, as he admits that he can retire anytime in the next five years.

The British duo is all in for the title

The 2022 season was a tough time for Mercedes. However, the camaraderie between their two drivers was one of the positives from the season. The excellent performances by both actually elevated team’s results and even made them aim for P2 in the standings.

Now, in 2023, Mercedes wants to be back in the grind. They want to challenge both Red Bull and Ferrari for the championship. Considering this could be their revival season, they could aim only for the constructors’ title.

Thus, the tense environment that generally comes between the teammates due to the drivers’ title can take a backseat. But before the winter testing, nothing certain can be commented about the competition next season.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton cites his winless season 21 years ago as his motivation to comeback in 2023

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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