Biography
George Russell is a Formula 1® Driver for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, racing in his third season for the team for the 2024 season.
George is a 26-year-old British Rising Star from Kings Lynn, who is aiming to achieve the ultimate goal of becoming Formula 1 World Champion.
His career began with humble beginnings in karting from 2006. His talent was clear to see from an early age, as he swooped to the MSA British Cadet Championship and British Open Championship in 2009, announcing himself to the world of British motorsport.
In 2010 he moved to the Rotax Mini Max category where he became Super One British champion, Formula Kart Stars British Champion and also won the Kartmasters British Grand Prix in a dominant season.
Russell graduated to the Premier Junior Karting class (KF3) the following season, where he won the SKUSA Supernationals title and became the CIK-FIA European Junior Champion in 2012 and 2013, to complete his lucrative karting CV.
George embarked on his first season of single-seater racing in 2014, claiming the BRDC Formula 4 Championship title at the first attempt. George also picked up numerous podiums in the Formula Renault 2.0 ALPS Championship that he completed a part season in, as well as victory at the Jerez in the Formula Renault Eurocup finale in a one-off appearance. In the same year, he won the prestigious McLaren BRDC Autosport Award for his achievements. After just one year in Formula 4, he switched to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship for the next two seasons.
As a member of the HitechGP squad, driving a car powered by the Mercedes-AMG Formula 3 engine, George finished the 2016 season in third position, having scored two victories and made ten podium appearances along the way. George made an immediate impact on his debut at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix, taking pole position on his first visit to the iconic Guia Circuit. His performances attracted the attention of the reigning Formula One World Champions.
In January 2017, he was announced as the latest addition to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport line-up, following in the footsteps of Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon.
George competed in the GP3 Series – a support series to Formula One – racing for frontrunners ART Grand Prix in 2017. The Mercedes-Benz Junior met his expectations in GP3 as he went on to take four victories, seven podiums and four pole positions on his way to winning the Driver's championship with two races to spare. These performances saw him be rewarded with a pair of Formula 1 Free Practice outings with the Sahara Force India Team, which he duly impressed on both occasions.
In 2018, George made the step up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship with ART Grand Prix, while also juggling his duties as Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Reserve Driver. Russell amassed more victories than any other driver in Formula 2, as well as the most pole positions, laps led and total amount of podiums, despite multiple reliability issues. He claimed the championship at the final round of the season in Abu Dhabi, sealing it in style with his seventh win of the year.
It was announced on the 12 October 2018, that George would compete in the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship with Williams Racing, on a multi-year deal.
Despite a difficult 2019 season for the team, with a car that was unable to fight for points - George nevertheless put in some brilliant performances that further cemented his profile as one of the bright stars of the future.
2020 saw George put in some 'giant-killing' performances, where he regularly out-performed his machinery on Saturday - making nine Q2 appearances throughout the season and threatened points finishes on numerous occasions in the Williams.
At the Sakhir Grand Prix, George replaced an unwell Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes and put in an incredible performance - qualifying P2 and leading the majority of the race, before a mid-race pit strategy mix-up and a slow puncture near the end of the race, cruelly denied him a maiden victory, twice. Nevertheless, he made his mark as an obvious star of the future.
2021 saw George take his first podium finish in Formula One, in the rain-affected Belgian Grand Prix, after an incredible Qualfiying saw him take P2 on the grid and the podium. George took a further 4 points scoring finishes, helping Williams Racing to 8th overall in the Constructor's Championship.
2022 proved to be a fruitful first year with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. Despite difficulties with the regulation changes, George secured eight podium places including his maiden victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix to finish the year fourth in the Championship standings.
Although the 2023 season was a challenging one for George and the team, he still managed to stand on the podium twice. Together with team-mate Hamilton, the British duo's consistency was enough to claim second in the Constructors' Championship.
2024 is George's third season with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. Despite a difficult start to the year for the team, George picked up a win at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, as well as podiums in Canada and Azerbaijan.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport "We will see how George is going to go in F2.
He does a brilliant job for us in the simulator, he has met our expectations in winning the GP3 title.
Force India is very impressed by him and F2 is the next step. We're very keen to see how he's going to perform."
Toto Wolff Mercedes-Benz Motorsport CEO "George has shown impressive form in the junior categories and we've been keeping a close eye on him for a while now.
It's still early days in his career but we see great potential in him. George's next challenge in GP3 will provide a good test of his credentials for the future."