George Russell

George Russell – Biography, Career and Results

Quick facts

Who is George Russell?

George Russell is one of those drivers who did not arrive in Formula 1 overnight, but at the end of a long, almost uniformly successful junior career. By the time he lined up for his first grand prix in 2019 as a Williams driver, he had already proven himself in karting, Formula 4, Formula 3, GP3 and Formula 2 – winning the last two at his very first attempt.

His career is also notable because it wasn't a straight line to the top: he had to prove himself for years in uncompetitive Williams cars before joining the Mercedes works team in 2022. His F1 statistics are tracked in detail in GPStats Racing's own database; this profile instead shows where he started and the path he took to reach Formula 1.

The early years

Russell started karting at the age of seven, following in the footsteps of his older brother Benjy, who was himself a national karting champion in Great Britain. He also "inherited" his famous number 63 from his brother: a kart his brother had rented carried that number, and George kept it for himself. His father, Steve Russell, ran a company dealing in seeds and pulses, which he sold in 2012 to help fund his son's racing career.

Karting career

Russell became British MSA Cadet champion and British Open champion in 2009, then in 2010, in the Rotax Mini Max category, he collected the Super One British championship, the Formula Kart Stars British championship and the Kartmasters British Grand Prix as well.

In 2011, stepping up to the KF3 category, he won the CIK-FIA Junior European Championship – in a field that also included future Formula 1 drivers such as Alex Albon and Charles Leclerc. In 2012 he defended the title, becoming the first driver in the sport's history to win the CIK-FIA Junior European Championship in consecutive years; he took the final with 75 points, 27 points clear of future IndyCar champion Alex Palou and Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci. In 2013, his final karting season, he raced in the more powerful KF1 category and finished 19th in the CIK-FIA World Championship.

Junior single-seater career

Russell switched to single-seaters in 2014, and became champion in his very debut season in BRDC Formula 4 with Lanan Racing, scoring 483 points with five wins and eleven podiums – despite losing points mid-season due to chickenpox. That same year he finished fourth in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series with Koiranen GP, and won the season-closing round at Jerez in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 as a Tech 1 Racing driver. At the end of the season, aged 17, he became the youngest-ever winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award, whose main prize was a test in a former McLaren Formula 1 car, the MP4-26, at Silverstone in October 2015.

He spent the following two seasons in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. In 2015, with Carlin, he finished sixth overall with one win and three podiums, and second among the rookies, behind Charles Leclerc. In 2016, with Hitech GP, he finished third with two wins, three poles and ten podiums, scoring 264 points – this was the season that caught Mercedes' attention, after which the manufacturer brought him into its driver academy.

In 2017, in the GP3 Series with ART Grand Prix, he became champion straight away as a rookie: with four wins, four pole positions and five fastest laps, he secured the title on 8 October 2017 at Jerez, with two rounds still to go in the season – ART Grand Prix drivers ultimately swept the top four places in the standings. During this time he also worked as a test driver for Force India (the predecessor of today's Aston Martin), Mercedes' engine partner, and got to drive a Formula 1 car in two free practice sessions, at the Brazilian and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix.

In 2018, again with ART Grand Prix, he won the Formula 2 Championship at his first attempt too: with seven wins, five pole positions, six fastest laps and eleven podiums, he closed out the season with what was then a series points record, and was crowned champion in Abu Dhabi, 68 points clear of Lando Norris. This made him – after Charles Leclerc – the second driver to win both GP3 (or its predecessor) and Formula 2 (or its predecessor) as a rookie.

The road to Formula 1

Russell's road to Formula 1 ran through Mercedes' works academy. After his 2016 F3 season, the German manufacturer took notice of him and brought him into its junior programme in 2017. At the same time he also worked as a test driver for Force India and got to prove himself in two Formula 1 free practice sessions, while winning back-to-back championship titles in GP3 and Formula 2.

His 2018 Formula 2 title brought the long-awaited opportunity: on 12 October 2018 it was announced that Russell would be a Williams Racing driver from 2019. He signed the contract while remaining available to Mercedes as their reserve driver – this dual role became especially important later, at the end of 2020.

Formula 1 career

Russell raced for Williams between 2019 and 2021, where he had to work with one of the least competitive cars in the field. Despite this he performed outstandingly in qualifying: in 2019 he out-qualified his more experienced teammate, Robert Kubica, at every single race. At the end of 2020, standing in for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes due to the coronavirus pandemic, he started the Sakhir Grand Prix in contention for the win, before a botched pit stop and a puncture left him finishing only ninth. In 2021, with Williams, he scored his first points and his first podium.

From 2022 he became a Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver, replacing Valtteri Bottas and partnering Lewis Hamilton. That same year he took his first pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix, then his first race win at the São Paulo (Brazilian) Grand Prix. After a difficult 2023 season, Mercedes showed their confidence in him with a two-year contract extension, which Russell repaid in 2024 and 2025 with several race wins, pole positions and podium finishes – including the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix, which he won from pole position while also setting the fastest lap. He remains a Mercedes driver from 2026 too, and has been the team's lead driver since Hamilton's move to Ferrari. You can find a detailed, season-by-season breakdown of his F1 races, wins, pole positions and points in GPStats Racing's own Formula 1 database.

Notable results outside Formula 1

Career timeline

• 2006 – starts karting, following in his brother's footsteps
• 2011 – CIK-FIA Junior European Champion in the KF3 category
• 2012 – title defence, the first in history to become European Champion in consecutive years
• 2014 – first single-seater season, BRDC Formula 4 champion, McLaren Autosport BRDC Award
• 2017 – GP3 champion, joins the Mercedes works academy
• 2018 – Formula 2 champion as a rookie
• 2019 – Formula 1 debut with Williams
• 2020 – stands in for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes at the Sakhir Grand Prix
• 2022 – moves to Mercedes, first F1 pole and first win
• 2025 – hat-trick (pole, win, fastest lap) at the Canadian Grand Prix

Facts about George Russell's career

• He was the first driver in karting history to win the CIK-FIA Junior European Championship in consecutive years (2011–2012).
• At 17 he became the youngest-ever winner of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.
• After Charles Leclerc, he is the second driver to win both GP3 (or its predecessor) and Formula 2 (or its predecessor) as a rookie.
• In 2019, as a Williams driver, he out-qualified his more experienced teammate Robert Kubica at all 21 races of the season.
• In 2020, during the period when the real F1 season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, he won the official F1 Virtual GP esports series.
• He "inherited" his famous number 63 from his brother Benjy's rented kart, and has carried it ever since.

Frequently asked questions about George Russell's career

When did George Russell start racing?

He started karting at the age of seven, around 2006, following the example of his brother Benjy, who was himself a national karting champion.

What championships did George Russell win before Formula 1?

He won the CIK-FIA Junior European Championship in karting twice (2011, 2012), then became champion in BRDC Formula 4 (2014), the GP3 Series (2017) and Formula 2 (2018) – the latter two as a rookie.

How did George Russell make it to Formula 1?

After his strong 2016 F3 season, Mercedes took notice of him and brought him into its works academy in 2017. He worked as a test driver at Force India during this time, and following his 2018 Formula 2 title, signed with Williams Racing in October 2018 to race from 2019.

Did George Russell compete in other categories during his Formula 1 career?

Not in terms of real racing – since starting his F1 career in 2019 he has raced exclusively in Formula 1. The exception was the enforced break in 2020 due to the coronavirus, when he won the official F1 Virtual GP esports championship.

When did George Russell move from Williams to Mercedes?

He became a Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver from 2022, having raced for Williams between 2019 and 2021 while also working as Mercedes' reserve driver for several years.

Why is George Russell's 2011–2012 karting result special?

Because he was the first driver in karting history to win the CIK-FIA Junior European Championship in consecutive years.

Sources

• Formula 1 official website – George Russell driver profile
• Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team – George Russell official driver page
• Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team – "Everything You Need to Know About George Russell"
• George Russell official website – About
• George Russell official website – "George Russell Crowned GP3 Series Champion in Abu Dhabi"
• FIA Formula 2 official website – Hall of Fame: George Russell
• Super One Series – "George Russell Makes History & Retains European Crown"
• Wikipedia – George Russell (racing driver)