George Russell (racing driver)

He was the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Champion for ART and the 2017 GP3 Series Champion. Following his Formula 2 championship win, Russell signed for Williams in 2019, making his debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, although he stood in for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Russell achieved his first F1 podium with Williams at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. He is also part of the Mercedes Young Driver programme.

Personal life

Russell was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk, to father Steve and mother Alison, the youngest alongside two siblings: a sister, Cara, and an older brother, Benjy. Russell took up karting at the age of 7, having spent much of his time around karting tracks and his brother Benjy, who was also involved in competitive karting. Growing up in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, Russell was educated at the Wisbech Grammar School, before moving to Milton Keynes at the age of 18 to be closer to his racing teams.

Like his father, he is a fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.

Formula One

In early 2017, Russell joined Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport as a part of their junior driver programme. It was announced that Russell would take part in both days of the Budapest test on the 1–2 August, which followed the Formula One World Championship and support series races at the same circuit from the weekend before. In November the same year it was announced that Russell would make his Formula One practice debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix driving in the first practice session for Force India. Subsequently, it was announced that he would also drive for them in the first practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Russell was announced as one of the Pirelli Tyre Test Drivers for Force India at the post-Spanish Grand Prix test in May 2018. He completed 123 laps for the team at the test, his first in a Formula One car with 2018 specifications.

Williams (2019–2021)

2019: Rookie season

Russell at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, he went on to finish 19th

On 13 October 2018, it was announced that Russell had signed a multi-year deal to drive for the Williams team, partnering Robert Kubica for the 2019 season. The Williams FW42 lacked pace and was the slowest car of the field; in most races Kubica was Russell's only on-track competition. At the rain-affected German Grand Prix, Russell crossed the line in 13th place before being promoted to 11th after the Alfa Romeo drivers were penalised post-race for using driver aids. He narrowly missed out on scoring his maiden point in Formula One, having been overtaken by Kubica in the closing laps.

The first retirement of Russell's career came at the Singapore Grand Prix when Romain Grosjean made contact with him during an overtake attempt, sending Russell into a wall.He then retired again at the Russian Grand Prix after suffering a wheel nut issue. The Brazilian Grand Prix provided one of the few opportunities of Russell's debut season to race other cars, where a late safety car allowed him to finish in 12th place, just 1.5 seconds behind a points-scoring position.

Russell ended the season in 20th place in the championship, the only driver not to score a point.

2020: First F1 career points

Russell at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix, a race in which he finished 11th

Russell continued driving for Williams in 2020, partnered by former Formula 2 competitor Nicholas Latifi. He retired from the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix from a loss of fuel pressure. Russell started the Styrian Grand Prix in 11th place after a wet qualifying session, beating his previous best qualifying position. Running wide into the gravel in the early laps effectively ended Russell's chances at points, and he finished 16th with both Williams drivers struggling for race pace.

Russell crashed out of the Belgian Grand Prix after a stray wheel from Antonio Giovinazzi's car hit his Williams. At the Tuscan Grand Prix, Russell started 18th but ran in the points positions for most of the race aided by a higher than normal attrition rate. He ran in ninth place before the second red flag period but experienced a poor restart, dropping back to 12th and last. Despite passing Romain Grosjean, he was ultimately unable to progress further and finished 11th. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Russell crashed out from 10th place while following the safety car, an incident he described as the "biggest mistake of [his] career".

Mercedes stand-in

Russell stood in for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, following a positive coronavirus test result for Hamilton. Russell stated in the pre-event press conference he felt "no pressure", following Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff's expectation that the car would finish in the top five. Russell qualified for second position on the front row for the race start, narrowly missing out on pole to teammate Valtteri Bottas by 26 milliseconds.Russell took early control from the race start and led most of the race, but with 20 laps remaining, Mercedes team mechanics fitted Bottas' front tyres on Russell's car, causing him to have to re-pit on the next lap to correct the error. He then suffered a slow puncture ten laps before the finish and was forced to pit again. Russell finished in ninth place and earned his first three World Championship points, two points for ninth and one for the fastest lap. Russell was praised by the media and the Mercedes team for his Sakhir performance.

Return to Williams

Russell performed media duties for Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but returned to Williams in time for practice when Hamilton was declared fit to compete. Following Friday practice, Russell said returning to Williams for this event was a "strange feeling", having competed in the faster Mercedes the week before. For the event, Russell wore a special helmet as a tribute to Williams co-founder Frank Williams and former deputy team principal Claire Williams, both of whom had left the team and Formula One earlier in the season. Russell qualified 18th and finished the race 15th.

2021: Maiden F1 podium

Russell was retained by Williams for the 2021 season alongside Nicholas Latifi. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he collided with Valtteri Bottas after driving on to a wet patch and losing control of his car during an overtaking attempt, causing both cars to retire and prompting a red flag. Russell initially blamed the incident on Bottas, accusing him of "trying to kill [them] both", but later retracted his claims and apologised to Bottas and his own Williams team.

George Russell at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, he finished 11th in the race.

He ran in 15th place prior to the red flag at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but failed to make the restart due to gearbox issues. He finished 12th at the French Grand Prix, ahead of eight other drivers, later remarking that this was the "best race [he had] ever had together with Williams". He qualified 11th at the Styrian Grand Prix, missing out on the third qualifying session (Q3) by eight milliseconds. He was promoted to 10th place after Yuki Tsunoda received a grid penalty, his best grid position for Williams. During the race, Russell gained two positions in the opening laps but later entered the pits multiple times as his team attempted to resolve a reliability issue. He eventually retired from the race. Russell reached Q3 for the first time in a Williams car at the Austrian Grand Prix and started the race eighth, the team's highest grid position since 2017. He finished the race 11th, having been passed by Fernando Alonso in the closing laps. Russell reached Q3 again at the British Grand Prix, but was issued with a grid penalty for colliding with Carlos Sainz Jr. in the sprint qualifying session. He finished the race 12th. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Russell came from 17th on the grid to finish a career-best eighth (after Sebastian Vettel's disqualification), earning his first points for Williams.

In the rain-affected Belgian Grand Prix qualifying session, Russell qualified in second place behind Max Verstappen. This marked the first front-row start for Williams since the 2017 Italian Grand Prix. The race was delayed by wet weather and ultimately only two laps were completed, both under safety car conditions. This allowed Russell to maintain his grid position and claim his first Formula One podium finish. At the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, Russell finished ninth, scoring an additional two points. At the Russian Grand Prix, Russell qualified in third in mixed conditions, before finishing the race in tenth. This would be his final points finish of the year. Russell's season ended with two retirements; he was eliminated from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after a collision with Nikita Mazepin and suffered gearbox issues at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He placed 15th in the drivers' championship, scoring 16 of his team's 23 points.

Mercedes (2022–)

Russell joined Mercedes in 2022, replacing Valtteri Bottas and joining seven-time world drivers champion Lewis Hamilton. Ahead of the 2022 season Russell chose to radically overhaul his helmet design by dropping his previously red helmet design in favour of a predominantly black design with red on the sides only out of respect for Michael Schumacher. In his first race as a full-time race driver for Mercedes, Russell finished fourth. In his 63rd start, the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, after starting 6th on the grid, he achieved 3rd, his second podium.

He was the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Champion for ART and the 2017 GP3 Series Champion. Following his Formula 2 championship win, Russell signed for Williams in 2019, making his debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, although he stood in for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Russell achieved his first F1 podium with Williams at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. He is also part of the Mercedes Young Driver programme.

Personal life

Russell was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk, to father Steve and mother Alison, the youngest alongside two siblings: a sister, Cara, and an older brother, Benjy. Russell took up karting at the age of 7, having spent much of his time around karting tracks and his brother Benjy, who was also involved in competitive karting. Growing up in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, Russell was educated at the Wisbech Grammar School, before moving to Milton Keynes at the age of 18 to be closer to his racing teams.

Like his father, he is a fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.

Formula One

In early 2017, Russell joined Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport as a part of their junior driver programme. It was announced that Russell would take part in both days of the Budapest test on the 1–2 August, which followed the Formula One World Championship and support series races at the same circuit from the weekend before. In November the same year it was announced that Russell would make his Formula One practice debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix driving in the first practice session for Force India. Subsequently, it was announced that he would also drive for them in the first practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Russell was announced as one of the Pirelli Tyre Test Drivers for Force India at the post-Spanish Grand Prix test in May 2018. He completed 123 laps for the team at the test, his first in a Formula One car with 2018 specifications.

Williams (2019–2021)

2019: Rookie season

Russell at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix, he went on to finish 19th

On 13 October 2018, it was announced that Russell had signed a multi-year deal to drive for the Williams team, partnering Robert Kubica for the 2019 season. The Williams FW42 lacked pace and was the slowest car of the field; in most races Kubica was Russell's only on-track competition. At the rain-affected German Grand Prix, Russell crossed the line in 13th place before being promoted to 11th after the Alfa Romeo drivers were penalised post-race for using driver aids. He narrowly missed out on scoring his maiden point in Formula One, having been overtaken by Kubica in the closing laps.

The first retirement of Russell's career came at the Singapore Grand Prix when Romain Grosjean made contact with him during an overtake attempt, sending Russell into a wall.He then retired again at the Russian Grand Prix after suffering a wheel nut issue. The Brazilian Grand Prix provided one of the few opportunities of Russell's debut season to race other cars, where a late safety car allowed him to finish in 12th place, just 1.5 seconds behind a points-scoring position.

Russell ended the season in 20th place in the championship, the only driver not to score a point.

2020: First F1 career points

Russell at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix, a race in which he finished 11th

Russell continued driving for Williams in 2020, partnered by former Formula 2 competitor Nicholas Latifi. He retired from the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix from a loss of fuel pressure. Russell started the Styrian Grand Prix in 11th place after a wet qualifying session, beating his previous best qualifying position. Running wide into the gravel in the early laps effectively ended Russell's chances at points, and he finished 16th with both Williams drivers struggling for race pace.

Russell crashed out of the Belgian Grand Prix after a stray wheel from Antonio Giovinazzi's car hit his Williams. At the Tuscan Grand Prix, Russell started 18th but ran in the points positions for most of the race aided by a higher than normal attrition rate. He ran in ninth place before the second red flag period but experienced a poor restart, dropping back to 12th and last. Despite passing Romain Grosjean, he was ultimately unable to progress further and finished 11th. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Russell crashed out from 10th place while following the safety car, an incident he described as the "biggest mistake of [his] career".

Mercedes stand-in

Russell stood in for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, following a positive coronavirus test result for Hamilton. Russell stated in the pre-event press conference he felt "no pressure", following Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff's expectation that the car would finish in the top five. Russell qualified for second position on the front row for the race start, narrowly missing out on pole to teammate Valtteri Bottas by 26 milliseconds.Russell took early control from the race start and led most of the race, but with 20 laps remaining, Mercedes team mechanics fitted Bottas' front tyres on Russell's car, causing him to have to re-pit on the next lap to correct the error. He then suffered a slow puncture ten laps before the finish and was forced to pit again. Russell finished in ninth place and earned his first three World Championship points, two points for ninth and one for the fastest lap. Russell was praised by the media and the Mercedes team for his Sakhir performance.

Return to Williams

Russell performed media duties for Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but returned to Williams in time for practice when Hamilton was declared fit to compete. Following Friday practice, Russell said returning to Williams for this event was a "strange feeling", having competed in the faster Mercedes the week before. For the event, Russell wore a special helmet as a tribute to Williams co-founder Frank Williams and former deputy team principal Claire Williams, both of whom had left the team and Formula One earlier in the season. Russell qualified 18th and finished the race 15th.

2021: Maiden F1 podium

Russell was retained by Williams for the 2021 season alongside Nicholas Latifi. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he collided with Valtteri Bottas after driving on to a wet patch and losing control of his car during an overtaking attempt, causing both cars to retire and prompting a red flag. Russell initially blamed the incident on Bottas, accusing him of "trying to kill [them] both", but later retracted his claims and apologised to Bottas and his own Williams team.

George Russell at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, he finished 11th in the race.

He ran in 15th place prior to the red flag at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but failed to make the restart due to gearbox issues. He finished 12th at the French Grand Prix, ahead of eight other drivers, later remarking that this was the "best race [he had] ever had together with Williams". He qualified 11th at the Styrian Grand Prix, missing out on the third qualifying session (Q3) by eight milliseconds. He was promoted to 10th place after Yuki Tsunoda received a grid penalty, his best grid position for Williams. During the race, Russell gained two positions in the opening laps but later entered the pits multiple times as his team attempted to resolve a reliability issue. He eventually retired from the race. Russell reached Q3 for the first time in a Williams car at the Austrian Grand Prix and started the race eighth, the team's highest grid position since 2017. He finished the race 11th, having been passed by Fernando Alonso in the closing laps. Russell reached Q3 again at the British Grand Prix, but was issued with a grid penalty for colliding with Carlos Sainz Jr. in the sprint qualifying session. He finished the race 12th. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Russell came from 17th on the grid to finish a career-best eighth (after Sebastian Vettel's disqualification), earning his first points for Williams.

In the rain-affected Belgian Grand Prix qualifying session, Russell qualified in second place behind Max Verstappen. This marked the first front-row start for Williams since the 2017 Italian Grand Prix. The race was delayed by wet weather and ultimately only two laps were completed, both under safety car conditions. This allowed Russell to maintain his grid position and claim his first Formula One podium finish. At the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, Russell finished ninth, scoring an additional two points. At the Russian Grand Prix, Russell qualified in third in mixed conditions, before finishing the race in tenth. This would be his final points finish of the year. Russell's season ended with two retirements; he was eliminated from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after a collision with Nikita Mazepin and suffered gearbox issues at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He placed 15th in the drivers' championship, scoring 16 of his team's 23 points.

Mercedes (2022–)

Russell joined Mercedes in 2022, replacing Valtteri Bottas and joining seven-time world drivers champion Lewis Hamilton. Ahead of the 2022 season Russell chose to radically overhaul his helmet design by dropping his previously red helmet design in favour of a predominantly black design with red on the sides only out of respect for Michael Schumacher. In his first race as a full-time race driver for Mercedes, Russell finished fourth. In his 63rd start, the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, after starting 6th on the grid, he achieved 3rd, his second podium.

George Russell is a British-born racing driver who joined Formula 1 in 2019 to drive for Williams Racing after previously driving in karting, Formula Renault 2.0, Formula 4, Formula 3, GP3, and FIA Formula 2 series. In 2017, George Russell was the GP3 Series Champion and he was the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Champion driving for ART. Following this, Russell signed for Williams Racing in 2019 to join Formula 1.

George Russell began racing in karting in 2006, where; he showed his talent from a young age, winning the MSA British Cadet Championship and the British Open in 2009. In 2014, the young driver was graduated to single seaters and in his first year he won the BRDC Formula 4 Championship and the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. These awards earned Russell a GP3 Series test and a test drive with McLaren Racing in a Formula 1 car.

It was announced in December 2018 that Russell would get his chance at Formula 1 racing with the Williams Racing team. His debut in Formula 1 was hampered by Williams struggles, which began before the season began with the team unable to complete their new car in time for the start of the 2018 season. This meant Russell and his 2019 teammate Robert Kubica missed testing time, and once the season started, it became clear that the Williams FW42 was uncompetitive. Despite these struggles, Russell was still able to distinguish himself with strong single-lap pace and he out-qualified his teammate Kubica at every round.

In 2020, Russell continued racing for Williams Racing. The team looked to take a step forward in the development of their chassis, and Nicholas Latifi was added as a new teammate for Russell, replacing Robert Kubica. This season was abruptly postponed during the lockdowns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic before Formula 1 was able to put together a series of races to keep the championship going. This season saw Russell continue to get the most out of his relatively uncompetitive Williams chassis, with multiple appearances in the second round of qualifying, although still failing to score any points through the season.

However, the closest Russell would come to scoring a point came during his appointment to Mercedes-AMG Petronas, wherewhen he replaced World Champion Lewis Hamilton while the latter dealt with a positive COVID-19 infection and was unable to compete. This drive saw Russell use an old racing seat, which are molded to the driver's body, and using race boots whichthat were too small. Despite a lack of preparation in the car, and relatively low expectations, Russell went on to qualify second only 0.026 second behind Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. He further caused a stir by passing Bottas on the opening lap and led much of the race before a pit stop error by the Mercedes team and a subsequent tire puncture stole a points finish from Russell.

Following his relief drive for Mercedes in 2020, there was an expectation, and there were rumors, that George Russell might get a drive for the following 2021 season with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team, but these were quickly put to rest as Mercedes confirmed Valtteri Bottas would retain his seat for the 2021 season. The William FW43B was a more competitive package than the previous iterations of the car, and Russell quickly became a fixture in the second round of qualifying, with two appearances in the third round of qualifying, placing his car in the top ten at the start of a grand prix.

This season also saw Williams Racing scoringscore points with both drivers for the first time in years. And, at the Belgian Grand Prix, George Russell was able to qualify second during a rained-out qualifying to qualify second. And, withround.With the race being eventually cancelled due to rain, this qualifying result meant George Russell won his first podium in Formula 1. He finished the season in 1515th place in the driver's championship, with 16sixteen points.

Following the 2021 season and the respective success of George Russell, Mercedes-AMG confirmed that Russell would replace Valtteri Bottas and drive alongside seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton for the 2022 season. As a driver who has been part of the Mercedes Junior Driver Programme since 2017, it had been expected for a few years that Russell would be given a chance at driving for Mercedes-AMG. And the ties to Mercedes began before that when Russell at 15fifteen gave a power point to Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff for the reasons why the young driver deserved financial backing from Mercedes. Russell was awarded the financial backing, and at no surprise, Toto Wolff backed George Russell for his 2022 drive for Mercedes-AMG.

George Russell is a British-born racing driver who joined Formula 1 in 2019 to drive for Williams Racing after previously driving in karting, Formula Renault 2.0, Formula 4, Formula 3, GP3, and FIA Formula 2 series. In 2017 George Russell was the GP3 Series Champion and he was the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Champion driving for ART. Following this, Russell signed for Williams Racing in 2019 to join Formula 1.

George Russell driving in karting series.

George Russell began racing in karting in 2006, where he showed his talent from a young age, winning the MSA British Cadet Championship and the British Open in 2009. In 2014, the young driver was graduated to single seaters and in his first year he won the BRDC Formula 4 Championship and the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. These awards earned Russell a GP3 Series test and a test drive with McLaren Racing in a Formula 1 car.

Following the Formula 4 championship, Russell moved into the Formula 3 European Championship for 2015. The first season in Formula 3 saw Russell drive for Carlin Motorsport. He won the opening race of the season but would miss out on the title to Charles Leclerc. Russell stayed in Formula 3 for 2016, switching to Hitech GP for the season, and scoring two victories to a third place finish in the standings.

George Russell driving the ART car in GP3.

In 2017, George Russell was announced as an addition to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport line-up as part of the Formula 1 teams Junior Driver Programme. This created some expectations for the young driver in his first GP3 Series season. He raced for ART Grand Prix and was able to meet expectations, taking four victories, seven podiums, and four pole positions to win the Driver's championship with two races left in the season. For this effort, Russell was awarded a pair of Formula 1 Practice drives with Sahara Force India Team, in which he was able to impress.

George Russell driving the Sahara Force India Formula 1 car.

In January 2018, Russell was confirmed as a driver for ART Grand Prix for the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship. Russell was further confirmed as the reserve driver for the Formula 1 Mercedes-AMG Pertronas Motorsport. Russell started strong in 2018, claiming victory in his fourth start, and promptly launching a campaign to become Champion, which he would do, taking the championship from rival Alexander Albon, who was the favorite to win prior to the season starting.

George Russell driving for the 2019 William Racing F1 team.

It was announced in December 2018 that Russell would get his chance at Formula 1 racing with the Williams Racing team. His debut in Formula 1 was hampered by Williams struggles, which began before the season began with the team unable to complete their new car in time for the start of the 2018 season. This meant Russell and his 2019 teammate Robert Kubica missed testing time, and once the season started, it became clear that the Williams FW42 was uncompetitive. Despite these struggles, Russell was still able to distinguish himself with strong single-lap pace and he out-qualified his teammate Kubica at every round.

George Russell driving the Williams Racing FW43.

In 2020 Russell continued racing for Williams Racing. The team looked to take a step forward in the development of their chassis, and Nicholas Latifi was added as a new teammate for Russell, replacing Robert Kubica. This season was abruptly postponed during the lockdowns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic before Formula 1 was able to put together a series of races to keep the championship going. This season saw Russell continue to get the most out of his relatively uncompetitive Williams chassis, with multiple appearances in the second round of qualifying, although still failing to score any points through the season.

George Russell after passing Valtteri Bottas to take first place in his first drive for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team.

However, the closest Russell would come to scoring a point came during his appointment to Mercedes-AMG Petronas, where he replaced World Champion Lewis Hamilton while the latter dealt with a positive COVID-19 infection and was unable to compete. This drive saw Russell use an old racing seat, which are molded to the driver's body, and using race boots which were too small. Despite a lack of preparation in the car, and relatively low expectations, Russell went on to qualify second only 0.026 second behind Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. He further caused a stir by passing Bottas on the opening lap and led much of the race before a pit stop error by the Mercedes team and a subsequent tire puncture stole a points finish from Russell.

Russell driving the FW43B in 2022.

Following his relief drive for Mercedes in 2020, there was an expectation, and rumors, that George Russell might get a drive for the following 2021 season with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team, but these were quickly put to rest as Mercedes confirmed Valtteri Bottas would retain his seat for the 2021 season. The William FW43B was a more competitive package than the previous iterations of the car, and Russell quickly became a fixture in the second round of qualifying, with two appearances in the third round of qualifying, placing his car in the top ten at the start of a grand prix.

George Russell during his podium celebration after finishing second in the rained-out Belgian grand prix.

This season also saw Williams Racing scoring points with both drivers for the first time in years. And, at the Belgian Grand Prix, George Russell was able during a rained-out qualifying to qualify second. And, with the race being eventually cancelled due to rain, this qualifying result meant George Russell won his first podium in Formula 1. He finished the season in 15 place in the driver's championship with 16 points.

Following the 2021 season and the respective success of George Russell, Mercedes-AMG confirmed that Russell would replace Valtteri Bottas and drive alongside seven time world champion Lewis Hamilton for the 2022 season. As a driver who has been part of the Mercedes Junior Driver Programme since 2017, it had been expected for a few years that Russell would be given a chance at driving for Mercedes-AMG. And the ties to Mercedes began before that when Russell at 15 gave a power point to Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff for the reasons why the young driver deserved financial backing from Mercedes. Russell was awarded the financial backing, and at no surprise, Toto Wolff backed George Russell for his 2022 drive for Mercedes-AMG.