George Russell has been in inspired form for Mercedes in the opening two races of the 2025 Formula One season, with the Brit yet to be beaten by team-mate Kimi Antonelli
George Russell has had a flying start to the 2025 Formula One season, impressing Mercedes boss Toto Wolff even while speculation continues that his spot with the Silver Arrows might be in jeopardy next year. The Brit has bagged consecutive third-place podiums in the season’s opening Grands Prix, establishing his presence swiftly.
With Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari, Russell has stepped up as Mercedes’ lead driver, and his impressive performances in Australia and China have been the perfect response to whispers that he could be replaced by Max Verstappen, if the current four-time world champion decides to exit Red Bull.
The paddock was buzzing with rumours last season about Wolff reportedly eyeing Verstappen to fill Hamilton’s boots, but the Mercedes chief has recently quashed these suggestions, all while lauding Russell for his superior skill behind the wheel. Wolff was particularly impressed with Russell’s performance in Shanghai, rating it “10 out of 10” with his driver just nine points off championship front-runner Lando Norris.
“I never give 10 out of 10 because I think there is always better,” the Austrian billionaire said. “We haven’t seen the perfect race, but considering the circumstances that George had in China, it is a 10 out of 10. He extracted the maximum of this car, the tyres, the strategy, and it was a brilliant drive.
“All these discussions about Lewis, who is the biggest person in the sport leaving to Ferrari, is a great story, Kimi coming in as the youngest driver and the high potential, and little was said about George.
“I always said that’s not right because he’s one of the top drivers out there. If you want me to name three that I consider to be the top [drivers], he’s absolutely among those three, if not top two, and maybe on his way to top one. George is a warrior, in the car and outside of the car.”
Despite Russell lacking a contract for 2026 as things stand, Wolff spoke about his driver’s future with a sense of pride in his history with Mercedes, starting as a junior driver in 2017. “George is a Mercedes driver, so we love having him in the team,” Wolff shared post-race on Sunday. “He was a junior driver and a Mercedes grown talent. I have something to be proud of and this is where all my concentration goes to.”
Last year, speculation regarding Russell’s future with Mercedes surfaced from figures like ex-Haas team principal Guenther Steiner and former F1 world champ Nico Rosberg, who opined that Russell’s position might not be secure even with Hamilton moving to Ferrari.
On the Red Flag podcast, Steiner said: “The car is what it is. It’s not the best car, it’s the fourth best car at the moment on a good day. I think Lewis knowing that he’s leaving anyway, it’s easier to complain. George has got all the interest to do to whatever is there to show that he’s the leader of the team for the future.
“He has to prove that, because he knows that because he knows that when his Mercedes contract is up, his seat is not 100 per-cent safe so he just tries to do his best, puts everything into it.”
Rosberg also hinted that Russell’s seat isn’t secure as last September, he said the British driver was “not safe at all” at Mercedes.
Despite a slow start to the season, Verstappen may have eased Red Bull’s concerns about his future after being quizzed on how patient he’s willing to be for the team to regain its championship form.
Verstappen, 27, has struggled to match the pace of McLaren, finishing second in Australia and fourth in China, but insisted he remains “very relaxed” about his situation, with his Red Bull contract running until 2028.
“I hear this all the time,” he said. “But for me, nothing changes. I’m actually very relaxed. I’m very positive in my mind. I’m enjoying life, you know? So every time I jump in the car, I just try to do the best I can, and I’m not thinking about anything else, to be honest, because I feel good in life in general, if that’s in the car, outside the car, and that’s actually what matters the most.”
