George Russell has revealed how Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes exit prompted him to alter his approach in 2025, culminating in his best campaign in Formula 1 to date.
Following three seasons trailing around at the back with a struggling Williams, Russell was promoted to a coveted works Mercedes drive alongside Hamilton in 2022.
The Briton outscored his seven-time F1 champion compatriot in their debut campaign as team-mates, an achievement he would replicate again last time out in 2024.
Hamilton’s departure saw Russell take on the team leader mantle alongside rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a role that he shone in as Mercedes claimed second overall.
Russell stood on the podium nine times across the season, including two victories in Canada and Singapore, ensuring he ended up behind the three title protagonists.
Asked whether he considered 2025 to be his strongest campaign, Russell replied to media including Motorsport Week: “Yeah, I think so.
“Definitely my most solid in terms of performance, emotional system, least mistakes. So yeah, on the whole, it has been.”
Russell admits desire to prove himself ‘bit me in the ass’
Russell has admitted that his desire to showcase his credentials alongside Hamilton made him more susceptible to errors during his earlier seasons with Mercedes.
But with Hamilton embarking on a new adventure at Ferrari, Russell has explained how he “reined it back a little bit” and minimised the mistakes that he was making.
“I think that’s always been in my nature, pre-F1, and sort of helped me to secure championships,” Russell said regarding his reduced blunders in 2025.
“But it was just during my time with Lewis, I just sort of felt that I want to push myself to see if there’s more in the tank, and go beyond the limit and kind of see what happens.
“Because, in ’23, I wasn’t satisfied just fighting for podiums. I wanted pushing the boundaries more, to try and get a highlight result, rather than just settling for a podium or a P4.
“That sort of bit me in the ass a bit. So I just reined it back a little bit this year, and in turn, probably helped me get bigger results.”
READ MORE – The lesson George Russell took from Mercedes F1 contract talks
Discussion about this post