The George Interview:

Part Two - New Faces, Familiar Faces and Being the Elder Statesman

“I am entering a new chapter in my career. I am ending my beginning and entering the mid stage.”

As George Russell embarks on his fourth season with Mercedes, there will be plenty of resource around him to extract the most from the upcoming 11 months.

A fresh face, a familiar face, and 128 Grand Prix starts could all play their part in writing the next successful chapter in his story.

In the second of an exclusive two-part interview with George to kick off 2025, we discuss his team-mates for 2025, and all the valuable experience he can draw on to maximise performance.

‘No Longer the Youngster’

When the lights go out in Melbourne in March, George will be 27 years old. Old? Definitely not. Wise? Absolutely.

George’s talent and early racing promise means he is already entering his seventh season on the F1 grid, and fourth with our team.

“I recognise my role as the more experienced driver,” says George.

“There are a lot of great young drivers coming onto the grid, and it makes you realise you are no longer the youngster.”

But this is not the beginning of the end, rather the end of the beginning.

The three-time Grand Prix winner adds: “I am entering a new chapter in my career. I am ending my beginning and entering the mid stage.

“Lewis was 29 when he joined Mercedes and started winning all those championships, and Michael was early 30s at Ferrari.

“Nowadays everyone starts younger and younger – my debut came at 20. But I feel ready now to fulfil roles at the team, but the most important part of that is driving as quickly as possible, and I feel in a good place to do that.

“I’ll continue to want to learn and be open and take nothing for granted. You either have the speed or you don’t, but there is no doubt these guys coming in are going to be competitive.”

A ‘Fantastic’ New Team-mate

The opening race of last season saw no new debutants line up of the grid in Bahrain from the end of the previous year.

This year in Melbourne will see six drivers start their first full campaign in F1, and three of them will be making their full race debut.

One of those will be across the garage from George, with 18-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli graduating from our Junior Programme to a full-time F1 seat.

The third youngest driver in F1 history he might be, but Kimi’s new team-mate is confident he will be up to speed in no time.

“He is such a fantastic driver. He does not have the experience yet, but I am sure he will be up to speed very quickly,” says George.

“He has already integrated so well. We have both been racing from a young age and we know what needs to be fed back to the team. He is young, but his opinion will be just as valid.”

New Faces, and a Familiar One Too!

While the team says 'Welcome Kimi', it is also a case of 'Welcome Home, Valtteri' as the Finn returns to Brackley as Third Driver for 2025 after three seasons away.

With 246 starts, 10 wins, 67 podiums and five consecutive Constructors‘ titles to his name, Valtteri will bring an invaluable wealth of experience to our campaign, and George is looking forward to having that at his disposal.

"His experience is going to be massive. Having someone with so much simulator and racing knowledge, and who fully knows the team is going to be great," he says.

"Hearing about his last few years at Sauber, with the Ferrari engine could be key too. You always have to keep an open mind as to what others are doing and he has all of that under his belt.

"Obviously years ago we were perceived to not have a strong relationship, but we are both professionals and our relationship has grown, we often travel together and see each other at hotels or in the gym.”

And what chance the pair might exchange hairstyle tips this year?

"Maybe he could give me some of his at the back, and I can give him some of my hair from the side – I think we would be able to make something pretty extraordinary from the two!"

Encouraging the Future

Having come through the Junior Programme themselves, George and Kimi is two examples of the benefits of nurturing the talents of the future.

With that in mind, George will be sure to have a keen eye whenever F1 Academy features on the F1 support bill again in 2025, as Doriane Pin gets behind the wheel for her second season.

“F1 Academy belongs on the F1 support bill, it should not be anywhere else,” says George.

“Doriane started off really well and had a strong season last year, it will be exciting to see her back and keep a close eye on how she performs this time around.”