Mercedes' George Russell has had an excellent start to the 2025 Formula 1 season, and he continues to show that he is the right man to lead the team forward for the foreseeable future.
The 27-year-old Brit joined Mercedes ready to learn from and compete with arguably the best driver in Formula 1 history, Lewis Hamilton, and over three seasons, he finished above the seven-time world champion twice.
Last season, knowing that Hamilton would depart for Ferrari, the focus settled heavily on how Russell would respond and whether or not he was ready to take up the mantle of number one driver and leader for Mercedes.
It was a storyline shown on Netflix's Formula 1: Drive to Survive show, and Russell demonstrated a calm consistency throughout the 2024 season, picking up two victories in Austria and Las Vegas, while also being unlucky to lose his P1 finish in Belgium due to a post-race disqualification.
The potential was certainly there, but it was clear that Mercedes would be hoping to see Russell step onto the podium more often in 2025, with the full focus being on him as the leader while a young, developing starlet in Kimi Antonelli stepped into the second seat.
That's exactly what has happened so far.
George Russell elevating himself
Russell has begun the 2025 season in the best form of his life, picking up the best results of any start to a season so far in his Formula 1 career.
Through four race weekends, which included an additional sprint race in China, Russell has already stood on the podium three times. He claimed P3 in Australia and China and drove sensationally in Bahrain, with his car suffering from a range of issues, to land P2, splitting the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
For good measure, and to maintain his consistency, he also earned P4 in the China sprint race and P5 in Japan, meaning he has yet to finish outside of the top five so far this year.
His performances, along with the emergence of Antonelli as a genuine top-tier talent, have Mercedes second in the constructor standings with 93 points, 59 more than they had at the same time last year.
It's clear that Russell was ready to elevate himself and take on the responsibility that would've largely fallen on Hamilton's shoulders while he was still with Mercedes, and stepping out of the shadow of a man who is tied for the world championships record seems to have set Russell free.
He is driving with such confidence and determination that he looks like he could be a podium threat every single weekend, assuming Mercedes can keep up with the likes of McLaren and their upgrades throughout the season.
Via Motorsport.com, reports even suggest that Russell could be handed a contract extension this year, and he fully deserves the security with his performances so far.
Mr. Saturday has shown that he is now Mr. Sunday with his consistent performances, picking up points in 14 consecutive race weekends dating back to the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix. And it would have been 16 straight weekends, had he not suffered from an underweight car in Belgium.
This new era in George Russell's career could not have started better, and he looks set to lead the Mercedes team forward for many years to come after showing that he can lead the way convincingly.