‘It’s More Than Just a Race’ - What the British Grand Prix Means to George

Rewind to 2009.

Brackley-based F1 team Brawn GP arrive at the home of British motorsport in the middle of a championship battle with drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.

On one side of the grandstand, a dedicated team of engineers prepare two cars for round eight of the F1 championship season.

On the other side of the fence, 11-year-old George Russell is watching on in awe as he attends his first Grand Prix.

“I was racing in the British Go-Kart championship that year, and we were invited to Silverstone to watch the race,” recalls George.

“I remember standing on the outside of Copse, which was the first corner on the previous layout.

“I remember seeing Sebastian [Vettel] on pole and watching all the cars light up the circuit on their way past. “From that moment on, I knew that’s where I wanted to be in the future.”

Five years would pass before George got the chance to race at Silverstone for the first time, and there was immediate chemistry between the up-and-coming racer and the hallowed Northamptonshire tarmac.

A P5 – on his single-seater debut in British F4 – was followed by two victories to round out the weekend. Suddenly George, like Sebastian back in 2009, could stand on a Silverstone podium as a winner.

At the end of that season, George returned to Silverstone a British F4 champion, and as winner of the BRDC McLaren Autosport award.

The prize? An F1 car test.

“My first ever car race, my first ever car win, and my first time testing an F1 car all came at Silverstone, it holds such a special place in my heart” says George.

George moved up to the F3 EuroSeries in 2015, claiming one win at – you guessed it – Silverstone.

Another win followed in GP3 on the way to the 2017 title, and two races in F2 in 2018 yielded two P2 finishes.

Silverstone success in F1 has been harder to come by, but an electrifying pole position in 2024 perhaps shows the tide is starting to turn.

There will be plenty of people cheering George on to even greater things in 2025.

It is that level of support from the grandstands that George believes makes the British Grand Prix stand out.

“It is always one of the best supported races,” says George.

“To the fans, it’s more than just a race, it’s a big festival and the circuit does such an amazing job – there are activities for kids, for adults, you have concerts and the track is such a good one to watch an F1 car at.

“It’s not just a fan favourite, it’s a driver favourite too.”

A popular venue, then, and one which after years of an unsettled future is now here to stay. In football terms, Silverstone would be the first name of the F1 calendar team sheet.

“The calendar has changed over the year, new tracks have joined the rota and some historic circuits have lost out, but Silverstone is going nowhere,” says George.

“Knowing that Silverstone stands firm on the calendar is a really special feeling.

“It’s one of the best Grand Prix for us drivers and for the fans watching trackside and on TV.”

And with our Lauda Drive factory based just a short car journey away, Silverstone could not feel more like home, for George and our team members.

“I spend so much time in Brackley, with the team. For everyone associated with Mercedes in F1, Silverstone is the perfect home Grand Prix location.”