How George Russell’s driving style puts him ahead in the Mercedes championship fight

George Russell has recently been highlighted for his performance in the Mercedes team compared to his historic teammate. During the 2024 season, Russell excelled driving the ground effect car. In contrast, Lewis Hamilton found it difficult to adapt, especially in the qualifying sessions, where he seemed to stumble.

For Mercedes, adapting to the ground effect era has been difficult since its inception in 2022, with challenges such as severe bouncing and a lack of performance compared to its usual level of dominance. Despite these problems, they managed to achieve four victories last year.

Hamilton had openly spoken about his frustrations, particularly with his performance in qualifying, which led to him leaving the team for Ferrari. But Russell had much more confidence in the W15, since quoted by Autosport.

He said: “I think probably my natural driving style has worked well in these cars.”

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell — Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and George Russell of Great Britain and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team use their mobile device during the Mexican F1 Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos…

Song Haiyuan/MB Media/Getty Images

Russell aims to rival Max Verstappen in the next championship by capitalizing on a driving style that matches his Brackley machinery.

“But equally, my qualifying record against my previous generation teammates was good and in all categories my qualifying records have been solid.”

Its stable approach to cornering benefits tire management, which is crucial for the W15 as its rear tires often overheat. This has stood out, especially when compared to Hamilton’s aggressive steering style, which caused a high level of oversteer.

He continued: “I don’t think there’s anything particular about this generation, but obviously Lewis has been my toughest teammate, so I think that’s why he’s stood out a bit more.”

“Experience is a big part of it.

“As the season progresses you learn what you need to do to get the most out of the tyres, where you can exploit the car’s strengths, where you need to be careful with the car’s weaknesses.”

Formula One 2025 season schedule

preseason testing

Dates: February 26-28
Location: Bahrain, Sakhir
Event Name: FORMULA 1 ARAMCO 2025 PRE-SEASON TESTING
Circuit: Preseason testing

Australia

Dates: March 14-16
Location: Australia, Melbourne
Event name: FORMULA 1 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Melbourne circuit

Porcelain

Dates: March 21-23
Location: China, Shanghai
Event Name: FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN CHINA GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Shanghai Circuit

Japan

Dates: April 4-6
Location: Japan, Suzuka
Event Name: FORMULA 1 LENOVO JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Suzuka circuit

Bahrain

Dates: April 11-13
Location: Bahrain, Sakhir
Event Name: FORMULA 1 BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Sakhir Circuit

Saudi Arabia

Dates: April 18-20
Location: Saudi Arabia, Jeddah
Event Name: SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX FORMULA 1 STC 2025
Circuit: Jeddah circuit

Miami

Dates: May 02-04
Location: Miami, Miami
Event Name: FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Miami circuit

Emilia-Romagna

Dates: May 16-18
Location: Emilia-Romagna, Imola
Name of the event: FORMULA 1 AWS GRAND PREMIO DEL MADE IN ITALY E DELL’EMILIA-ROMAGNA 2025
Circuit: Imola circuit

Monaco

Dates: May 23-25
Location: Monaco, Monaco
Event name: FORMULA 1 MONACO GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Monaco circuit

Spain

Dates: May 30-June 1
Location: Spain, Barcelona
Name of the Event: FORMULA 1 ARAMCO GRAND PRIX OF SPAIN 2025
Circuit: Barcelona circuit

Canada

Dates: June 13-15
Location: Canada, Montreal
Event name: PIRELLI FORMULA 1 CANADA GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Montreal circuit

Austria

Dates: June 27-29
Location: Austria, Spielberg
Event name: FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES AUSTRIA GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Spielberg circuit

Great Britain

Dates: July 4-06
Location: Great Britain, Silverstone
Event Name: FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS BRITISH GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Silverstone Circuit

Belgium

Dates: July 25-27
Location: Belgium, Spa-Francorchamps
Event name: FORMULA 1 BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Spa-Francorchamps Circuit

Hungary

Dates: August 1-03
Location: Hungary, Budapest
Event Name: FORMULA 1 LENOVO HUNGARY GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Budapest circuit

Netherlands

Dates: August 29-31
Location: Netherlands, Zandvoort
Event Name: FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN DUTCH GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Zandvoort circuit

Italy

Dates: September 05-07
Location: Italy, Monza
Name of the event: FORMULA 1 PIRELLI GRAN PREMIO D’ITALIA 2025
Circuit: Monza circuit

Azerbaijan

Dates: September 19-21
Location: Azerbaijan, Baku
Event name: FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Baku circuit

Singapore

Dates: October 3-05
Location: Singapore, Marina Bay
Event Name: FORMULA 1 SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Marina Bay Circuit

USA

Dates: October 17-19
Location: United States, Austin
Event Name: FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Austin circuit

Mexico

Dates: October 24-26
Location: Mexico, Mexico City
Event Name: FORMULA 1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Mexico City Circuit

Brazil

Dates: November 7-09
Location: Brazil, São Paulo
Event name: FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2025
Circuit: São Paulo circuit

vegas

Dates: November 20-22
Location: Las Vegas, Las Vegas
Event Name: FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN LAS VEGAS SILVER GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Las Vegas circuit

Qatar

Dates: November 28-30
Location: Qatar, Lusail
Event name: FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Lusail circuit

Abu Dhabi

Dates: Dec 05-07
Location: Abu Dhabi, Yas Island
Event Name: FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 2025
Circuit: Yas Island Circuit