100 Club: George Russell

George Russell joined the Formula One Grid with Williams Racing in the 2019 season, he made his debut in Australia finishing the race 16th. The British driver had a tough first few seasons in F1 failing to get into the points. In 2022 Russell got his move to Mercedes to partner World Champion multiple times over, Lewis Hamilton, after an impressive loan move the season prior. Since then he has become an integral part of the team, scoring many points and last weekend in the Austin Grand Prix he reached the amazing landmark of 100 races in F1! The past five years haven’t been all plain sailing for the 25-year-old, but let’s look back at Russell’s five best moments so far in Formula One!

Super sub for Mercedes – 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix

Following a positive Covid-19 test for Lewis Hamilton, Russell was called in from Williams to take his place in the Mercedes-AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance. The young driver immediately proved his talent, being the fastest in two practice sessions before qualifying second only behind teammate for the day, Valtteri Bottas.

After a strong start to the race, Russell managed to take the lead off of the more established Mercedes driver into turn 1. A double DNF for Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc allowed Russell to extend his lead building a gap between himself and Bottas. All was looking good for the number 63, until ironically lap 63… a tyre mismatch during his pitstop meant he had to pit again on the following lap.

Once the tyres were corrected Russell worked his way back up the field getting back up to second by Lap 77. He managed to close the gap between himself and the race leader Sergio Perez, but the Mercedes pit wall called him in for a second time, this time for a left-rear puncture which ended any hope of a first victory. Russell ended up finishing ninth, meaning he did pick up his first points in F1 but his maiden win just unfortunately slipped from his grasp.

George’s first points for Williams - 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix

After being at the team for two and a half years, the hard work and perseverance finally paid off. In a race that one can only describe as bizarre, five cars were taken out in a multi-crash incident at turn 1 giving the Williams drivers even more chance of getting up the order. The restart saw Lewis Hamilton alone on the grid waiting for five red lights which everyone else was awaiting in the pits.

Russell came out in second place, but after being deemed as unfairly gaining positions in the earlier confusion, he had to give the places back. This saw him down to eighth with teammate Nicholas Latifi in third. Russell ended up finishing in eighth with his teammate one place ahead securing a heartwarming double points finish for Williams.

George’s first front row qualifying with Williams, and first podium - 2021 Belgian Grand Prix 

In the next race of the 2021 calendar, the Williams driver once again impressed at the very wet Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Russell was setting strong times in all three qualifying sessions, and managed to get provisional pole in the closing stages of Q3 though Max Verstappen relegated him down to second. 

In yet another strange race, the drivers only completed two laps behind the safety car before the result was announced due to the intensity of the rain. This meant that Russell was awarded his first podium in F1 and also Williams’ first since 2017! 

George’s first pole - 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix 

After making the permanent move to Mercedes at the beginning of the 2022 season, it didn’t take long for Russell to start competing for the top spots. Mercedes looked strong in Q1 with Hamilton just pinching top spot with Russell close behind, Q2 was a little tough for the two Brits, but when it mattered Russell pulled through with a brilliant lap in Q3 securing his first pole!

Under pressure in the opening laps of Sundays race, Russell managed to hold onto the lead. Following the compulsory stops Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc began to close the gap, and by Lap 31 Russell had lost the lead. After a mix around in the middle of the race, the Mercedes driver found himself back in second with 15 laps to go. With just five laps to go, Hamilton, who was on the soft compound tyres, got past Russell relegating him down to third on the podium. The race may not have gone the way Russell wanted but it was still a strong weekend for the Brit. 

George’s first double win weekend! - 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix 

The penultimate race of the season was another where the rain played its part. Russell’s first effort on a worsening track put him into third place, not long after he span into the gravel causing the session to be ended securing him the second row start in the sprint. 

Early in the sprint race, Russell managed to get past pole-sitter Kevin Magnussen and was clear to chase the new leader Verstappen. In a 24 lap sprint, Russell got into first position on Lap 15 and wasn’t challenged for the rest of the race securing him his first sprint win. 

For the following days race, Russell took first place on the grid with teammate, Hamilton, just one place behind. A battle between Verstappen and Hamilton saw them fall down the order, giving Russell more space for the majority of the race. A safety car late in the race allowed Hamilton to apply pressure on his teammate from just one second behind. Russell did extremely well to hold off the pressure for the final ten laps and earn his first F1 victory! 

Recent struggles 

The British driver has struggled in recent weeks, failing to get on the podium since the Spanish Grand Prix back in June, though he has had some close races and has looked strong in qualifying so hopefully it’s only a matter of time till we see him back on the steps as we head into the final four races of the calendar year!