George Russell maintains he can beat anyone on the Formula 1 grid after extending his current deal with Mercedes until 2025.
Russell joined Mercedes in 2022 and has had one pole position, at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix, plus a maiden win at the 2022 Brazilian GP on his way to outscoring teammate Lewis Hamilton that year.
“I wake up every morning thinking I’ve got the chance to beat everybody and to fight for the world championship,” Russell told select media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “Being teammates with Lewis is great.
“Because it keeps us both on our toes. I showed last year what I could do with my pace, performance and victory. This year, I think it’s always very tight between the two of us.
“I’m proud of that, to be honest, because, you know, I want to beat everybody. But I also need to recognise that I’m going against the greatest of all time.
“So if you’re on a level playing field with someone like Lewis with someone like Max, I think you must be doing a pretty good job.”
Deal took two hours to agree over dinner
Like teammate Hamilton, Russell‘s deal didn’t take long to be agreed upon, with the terms of his new deal being agreed upon over dinner.
Russell is the third driver of F1‘s next generation to agree long-term deals with Lando Norris, set to remain at McLaren until 2025, whilst Max Verstappen is set to stay at Red Bull until 2028.
“It was a very quick process, I don’t think it took more than two hours’ worth of conversations,” said Russell. “Just one evening, before dinner, so it was pretty straightforward, never in doubt, either way.
“So it was never really a concern for me because it always kind of feels like we’re married to one another, I’ve been part of his team since I was 17 years old.
“I think that consistency is so important to build upon, and we’re in that cycle at the moment of getting back to the top. So you’re proud to continue with the team.”
