Mr Saturday — Hamilton's Mercedes successor and the driver who outqualified Hamilton in his debut season.
George William Russell was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk in 1998. Mercedes identified him as a junior talent and developed him through F3, GP3 and F2 — he won the F2 Championship in 2018 without a single car failure. Williams gave him three seasons from 2019 to 2021 — he consistently outperformed a car fighting for points in the back half of the grid and was rated by engineers as among the most technically detailed drivers in the paddock. His substitute appearance for Lewis Hamilton at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix — Hamilton having contracted COVID-19 — produced a performance that nearly won the race before a pit stop failure. Mercedes promoted him alongside Hamilton for 2022. He outqualified Hamilton on pace in his debut season — generating enormous attention. He won his first race at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. His data-driven approach to car development, his racecraft and the pace that consistently matched or exceeded Hamilton in qualifying made him the most technically complete young British driver since Hamilton himself. He became Mercedes' lead driver in 2025 following Hamilton's move to Ferrari.
First F1 win at Brazil 2022, consistent performances with Williams and Mercedes
How They Played
Consistent, intelligent driver with strong racecraft and strategic thinking
Lasting Impact
Rising British F1 star who maximized underperforming cars before joining Mercedes
F1 race wins 2
Career Honours
- F1 race wins 2
- Pole positions 3
- British GT Champion (2017)
- F2 Champion (2018)