Before Russell joined Williams as a driver in 2019, he was a test-driver for Mercedes.
Every now and again, a Formula 1 driver emerges who, from an early stage of his career, leaves no doubt whatsoever about the fact that he is a rare talent.
One of those drivers is George Russell, who will join Mercedes next year as Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate.
Briton, 23, has been involved in F1 since 2019 and has been driving every race except one. This car belongs near the bottom of the grid.
Russell is a shining star of the future, and almost every weekend he excels.
It's been seen by everyone. Toto Wolff (Mercedes team principal) has promoted Russell to his position.
Fernando Alonso, a double world champion, was asked last year which driver from the younger generation had impressed him the most while he was watching from the sidelines.
Alonso stated, "George Russell is the one that always surprises me every weekend." He drives the Williams like a pro. Zero mistakes. His natural speed is amazing to me."
Russell, he stated, "was putting into something special every weekend".
Russell was the latest driver to be paired with Alonso at Monaco. He swapped helmets to increase the number of his collection in Oviedo (northern Spain). Alonso wrote to Russell on the helmet he gave him: "George you rock." Future champ of the world.
This admiration is shared across the grid. Charles Leclerc from Ferrari, a friend and karting competitor to Russell, said that he is "just exceptionally talented" and "special". Red Bull's Max Verstappen said he is "very remarkable".
Source: Forix
What makes Russell so special?
Although the list of memorable moments Russell captured while driving his Williams uncompetitively is extensive, it's worth mentioning just a few.
He qualified at the Tuscan Grand Prix last season, setting his fastest qualifying lap at 173mph. This was after exiting the Savelli lefthander at 173mph and continuing to keep his foot down through the faster, flatter Arrabiatta corners immediately following.
This incredible bravery helped to keep intact a record that still stands today - in over two and a quarter seasons, he has never been beaten by a Williams team-mate.
The Williams is, on average, the ninth fastest car for one lap in this season's championship. Russell qualified the Williams three times in 12 races, and his average grid position of 12th is 12.
Russell is so skilled in qualifying that he earned the nickname "Mr Saturday".
Although he excels at qualifying, his best performance was in the wet at last month's Belgian Grand Prix.
Russell placed Williams on the front row with a lap that will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time. He was able to outqualify Hamilton, who has had some of the most remarkable achievements in wet racing with a Mercedes. Consider what this says about Russell's ability to operate at that level.
Russell's speed isn't just about one lap. This year's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix saw Russell in ninth place with Hamilton's teammate Valtteri bottas. Unfortunately, the pair crashed as Russell tried to pass.
This year's Austrian Grand Prix saw him hold off Alonso's faster Alpine for 10th for 14 laps, with one of the most impressive displays of racecraft all year before succumbing with only three laps remaining.
Russell was supposed to win his debut Sakhir Grand Prix victory in 2020, but Mercedes failed to deliver.
Perhaps the most important thing was Russell's race for Mercedes at last years Sakhir Grand Prix. He took Hamilton's place after he contracted coronavirus.
Russell was given only two days notice. He was not able to fit in the car. It gave him pains in his shoulder. He also had to wear driving shoes that were too small to allow him to reach the cockpit. Ice was necessary to treat his bruises after a long day of driving. He also used Hamilton's clutch paddles and gear change, which were too small for him.
He missed pole to Bottas by 0.026 seconds. However, he won the start and was well on his way to a maiden win when Mercedes lost the race due to a pit-stop mistake during a safety-car period.
Wolff stated in the aftermath that this race was not George's final attempt to win a race. This is only the beginning of a fairytale that didn't end in our favor today, and I would argue that a new star has been born.
"We discovered George Russell is someone we can count on for the future." He is a future star with all the potential and all the necessary ingredients.
Williams will miss Russell but they both agree that Wolff cannot reasonably make any other decision.
Dave Robson is the head of engineering. He was Jenson Button's race engine at McLaren in 2009, before joining Williams. Robson said, "George is extraordinarily good. Like, really, really very, very good.
He has an incredible amount of natural talent. It's all stuff that you can't explain and can't teach. He has learned a lot. He will be able to look back and see how much he has learned from these difficult years.
He's also got a great personality. He is as determined and demanding as he needs, but also calm and sensible. He is a great guy and we need to see him in a more competitive vehicle to judge him.
What will this mean for Mercedes?
Hamilton's lack of enthusiasm about Russell being his team-mate has been an interesting subplot throughout the season.
Hamilton, who was certain he knew the direction Wolff would take, took every opportunity to tell Bottas he preferred Bottas to stay. He also pointed out how great their relationship was and how well the team works together with them.
This was the case up until last weekend's Dutch Grand Prix. F1 made Russell's move a secret, Hamilton said that his future partner was "incredibly gifted".
Bottas is an outstanding team player, and a supportive and compliant partner for Hamilton. Hamilton said that Bottas felt obliged to defend his team-mate. Fundamentally, Hamilton has not been as close to the Finn's level.
Hamilton is statistically the greatest driver ever and would defend himself against any challenger. He is also well-aware of what happens when a teammate challenges him. This could be by performing at a level with Alonso in 2007 or by working hard to minimize his weaknesses and benefit from a reliability that comes with Nico Rosberg.
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The competitive tension was high and harmony within the team was almost non-existent each time.
Wolff always stated that he wanted to prevent that from happening again. This is one reason why he kept Bottas so long.
Hamilton is now 37. Hamilton has a Mercedes contract for at least two more years, but by virtue biology he's closer to the end than the beginning of his career. Wolff had to consider the future and Russell has been convincing enough to sign him. Wolff didn't see it as a smart idea to sign him.
One of the many benefits is that Mercedes would have a Hamilton-Russell lineup going into next year's era, when cars will be performing closer together due to the major rule changes.
How will Russell stack up against Hamilton? It remains to be seen. However, Hamilton's title rival Max Vertappen stated that he would make Lewis' life very difficult.
Alonso states: "It will be more interesting because Valtteri wasn't maybe fast enough to put some pressure onto Lewis on a few occasions." We can see better competition within the team with George.
This is a new challenge for Russell.
He will be racing against the best driver on track - possibly the greatest driver ever - every weekend in a competitive car, so it is impossible to know how he will do. Based on what we know so far, it seems reasonable to assume that he will pose a greater threat than Bottas.
Wolff seems to be aware of it. He said about a possible Hamilton-Russell partnership after Sakhir last year: "It would have been an interesting situation to have them both on the team. Maybe a bit wild ride for us all and maybe that'll happen in the future."
The future has a start date - March next Year. Get ready to get involved. This could be a great place to be.
