George Russell is not shy about his ambitions of being at the very top in Formula 1. The Mercedes driver believes he is ready to become World Champion – arguing he would have taken this year’s crown in a McLaren or Red Bull.
George Russell analyses 2024 title fight between Verstappen and Norris
After dominating the first few rounds of the year, Max Verstappen spent most of his 2024 campaign on the defensive.
As McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes made improvements, Christian Horner’s team went through a long period where their upgrades were ineffective.
Luckily for Red Bull, Verstappen managed to optimise his RB20 and secure the necessary results to win. At the same time, Norris and McLaren threw away plenty of opportunities to close the gap.
From George Russell’s perspective, it was poor execution from McLaren that allowed the Dutchman to claim a fourth world title.
When asked if he could have won the title in McLaren’s MCL38, Russell responded without hesitation:
“Yes, absolutely,” he told the Daily Mail:
“Max has won once in the last 12 races, so he is very beatable.
“The difference is that when Max has had the chance he has won, whereas his rivals who should have beaten him this year did not.
“They [Norris and McLaren] have thrown away a lot of points. And therefore Max, who is an exceptional driver, has won the championship early.
“I say I could have won in the Red Bull because it was the quickest car at the start. Even Checo was second a few times.
“It’s only in the second half of the season that they were the third best team.”
Next year will be critical for Mercedes
With George Russell taking a second consecutive Pole Position in Qatar, Mercedes seem to have overcome their mid-season slump.
Assuming they can carry this year’s momentum into the W16, Mercedes should be fighting for victories from the first round in Bahrain.
For Russell, who joined the Silver Arrows just after their dominance ended, next year could be his first chance to realistically target the Championship.
Then again, there are still plenty of obstacles to overcome. The first challenge will be on the opposite side of the garage, with the highly anticipated Kimi Antonelli joining Mercedes next year.
Elsewhere, there are three other teams who are can realistically target race victories and even the title in 2025.
Perhaps Russell’s hopes are best reinforced by the idea that – as F1 enters the final year of these regulations – teams are struggling to find improvements.
Therefore, it is relatively unlikely that anyone will make a significant step forward next season.
In this context, Mercedes will be part of an intense multi-team battle for the crown.
This is the kind of scenario where George Russell can prove the extent of his capabilities.
