George Russell has spoken about the most important skill he learned from Lewis Hamilton during their time as Mercedes teammates. When Russell joined Mercedes in 2022, Hamilton was entering F1 as an emotionally wounded driver.
The seven-time F1 champion experienced the biggest heartbreak of his F1 career in December 2021. A controversial decision by the race director at the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP cost him a potential eighth F1 title and handed Max Verstappen his first. Despite the bitter disappointment, Hamilton returned with a fresh mindset in 2022.
For George Russell, a promotion from Williams to Mercedes meant the world, as he would be contending for podiums and wins for the first time in his career. As lead driver, Hamilton would play a pivotal role in mentoring Russell through his actions, if not directly.
In an interview with Maxim, Russell shared how Hamilton’s interpersonal skills kept the morale high within Mercedes, and turned out to be his most crucial learning.
“I think the biggest thing I learned from him is just how he kept the morale around the team so high, even through moments of difficulty,” the 27-year-old said. “You know, he was a true leader within this team, and he was a true hard worker. He was the first in, last out, and that set the standard for everybody else within the team.”
Over their three-year partnership, George Russell ended up outperforming his seven-time champion teammate. In 2022 and 2024, he finished ahead of Hamilton in the drivers’ championship standings. That trend continued even after Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari in 2025.
George Russell’s journey from junior driver to lead driver at Mercedes
Within a three-year span, George Russell went from being Lewis Hamilton’s mentee to mentoring the seven-time F1 champion’s replacement, 18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli. However, this shift didn’t bring any significant challenge for him.
It was a rather smooth transiton because he’d spent three years absorbing everything he could gather from Hamilton.
“When I came into Mercedes, I had three years under my belt [at Williams Racing], but I was new to the team, and I wanted to use my ears more than my mouth, if you know what I mean,” Russell said. “I wanted to sort of soak in all the information and see how Lewis does his business, because it’s clearly worked for so long. And over time I became more confident, and the team was giving me an equal voice within.”
This proactive participation in bettering his F1 career made Russell more adaptive, and a “natural transition” to lead driver followed. In 2025, the Briton signed a new 1+1-year deal with Mercedes for 2026, reportedly making him the third-highest-paid driver on the grid. The contract includes a performance clause, which, if triggered, will automatically extend his stay at the Silver Arrows for 2027.