Formula 1 Q&A: Russell, FIA Presidency, TV coverage of Formula 1 and the 2026 Singapore Speedway

With all the talk about Max Verstappen’s impressive season, is the work George Russell doing at Mercedes being overlooked? Given the right equipment, does he look like a world champion in the making? – He died

George Russell led a fantastic season, including dominant victories in Canada and Singapore.

There was never any doubt about Russell’s speed – his qualifying session for the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, when he put the Williams car on the front row in the rain, can arguably be considered one of the greatest of all time.

But two years ago there were questions about whether he was a little error-prone in high-stress situations.

Last year’s Canadian Grand Prix, when everyone felt the Mercedes was the fastest car but Russell made some mistakes that allowed Max Verstappen to sneak away to win, was a case in point.

In fact, there was an episode of the Netflix series Drive to Survive covering 2024 dedicated to the question of whether Russell displays team leadership qualities.

It has to be said that it was very dramatic, not least because there was no doubt at the time about Russell’s future at the team, as he was under contract for 2025, and this episode made it seem as if there was one.

This year, Russell has answered those questions conclusively, team principal Toto Wolff said after Singapore.

“That’s the move he also made this year,” Wolff said. “Don’t these things happen again. He’s been great this year. I haven’t seen any mistakes.

“There were weekends where he said himself that he could have done more and that the race was not good. But that happens with any driver.

“You can see when the car is integrated into a perfect space and the driver is on top of things. That becomes the formula and that’s what we saw here.”

Russell will be near the top of the 2025 drivers list.

Earlier this year, when there were some questions about Verstappen’s future at Red Bull, Russell looked like he might be under threat at the team.

But an announcement about the confirmation of the new contract is expected to be imminent.