‘I need to go face to face with Max’

George Russell insists he’s proficient sufficient to be a title contender in System 1, following a powerful 2025 season with Mercedes.

After evaluating favourably to Lewis Hamilton over their three years as team-mates, with practically as many factors and extra victories, Russell comfortably established himself because the squad’s lead driver with rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli alongside him.

Russell was the one driver, aside from the three title contenders, to win grands prix in 2025. His consistency was key in Mercedes securing second place within the constructors’ championship – he took 18 top-five finishes in 24 rounds and solely failed to attain as soon as, ending eleventh in Monaco. The Briton can also be on a 45-round run with out a race-ending crash or collision.

Requested if this was his greatest season in F1, the Briton stated: “Positively my most strong when it comes to efficiency – most constant, least errors. So yeah, on the entire, it has been.

“I undoubtedly know I can – I can combine it with these guys on the prime. Max [Verstappen] is clearly the gold normal for the time being. He is the one which I would need to go face to face with, and I believe he is the one one that individuals would query. He is the one driver on the grid that you simply’d need to be team-mates with to see your competitiveness with.”

However Russell has been unable to mount a reputable problem to Verstappen thus far, with the Dutchman normally having fun with extra aggressive equipment – although the Silver Arrow was a match extra typically in 2025 than beforehand.

As he tackles his eighth season in F1 subsequent 12 months – his fifth at Mercedes – Russell seeks inspiration from Michael Schumacher. The German helped construct a profitable group at Ferrari and took championship glory in his personal fifth marketing campaign at Maranello, kickstarting a five-season title-winning run after consecutive defeats from 1996 to 1999.

“I at all times remind myself of Schumacher at Ferrari that it took 5 years with the group earlier than the primary championship,” Russell added. “Individuals solely keep in mind the glory years however the majority of individuals do not keep in mind these 4 years of no championship wins.

“And for me to complete second within the championship, or twentieth within the championship, actually it is type of the identical factor. You are not profitable and that has been studying for me as properly, coming from Williams after I was on the again each single weekend. That was so irritating, however now I am on this place, nonetheless not preventing for a championship, is not actually a lot totally different, if that is smart. You are both preventing for a championship otherwise you’re not, and in the event you’re not, nobody ever needs to combat for P2.

“So I am prepared for it, however I do know my time, I’ve to be affected person.”

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– The Motorsport.com Group