He cited Michael Schumacher’s move to Ferrari for 1996, which only netted a first title for the relationship in 2000.
George Russell makes Michael Schumacher comparison in title hopes
British racer George Russell is in the midst of his seventh full season of Formula 1 racing, and his fourth as a full-time Mercedes F1 driver.
Since the swap to the Brackley squad in 2022, Russell has amassed four grand prix victories, his most recent coming at the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix. He’s recorded a total of 886 career points, and despite the team making a step backwards with a suspension update earlier in 2025, he remains a contender for third overall in the championship standings.
With McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris running away at the top of the standings, a title fight is proving more elusive.
Russell, insists that isn’t getting to him. In fact, he told Motorsport.com that “I’m definitely more hungry than ever just to try and perform.
“I would have hoped by now, seven seasons in, I would have at least had a year of fighting for a championship. When I joined Mercedes, we thought every year would be a championship fight.
“Unfortunately, it hasn’t turned out that way.”
Russell joined the Brackley organisation at the start of the current ground effect era, as the team struggled to get to grips with the new design philosophy.
It initially pursued a “zero-sidepod” concept that ultimately proved to be a step in the wrong direction, leaving its drivers fighting for the scraps left over by the dominant Red Bull team.
But there is a certain amount of comfort in knowing he’s not alone.
“It’s been the same for Charles [Leclerc] as well,” Russell said of the Ferrari driver.
“Arguably, nobody would have predicted two years ago McLaren would have made this step. Lando did five years with them and had no fight either. So, you’ve just got to accept the fact that that is the nature of F1. That’s always been the case.”
Then, he made a very telling statement.
“And you look at Michael Schumacher, he was in his fifth year with Ferrari, in his 30s, before he won a championship with them,” he stated.
“I’m 27, so I’ve still got a bit of time on my side.”
Of course, by the time Schumacher took his first title for Ferrari, he was already a two-time champion, with back-to-back Benetton titles in 1994 and 1995. His dominant streak with Ferrari, then, was built on an already impressive legacy.
But in some ways, Russell has a point. In certain cases, it takes a driver a few years with a team to take advantage of the ideal combination of one’s natural talent paired with a successful interpretation of the latest technical regulations.
Can Mercedes and Russell make magic happen in 2026? Only time will tell. The immediate priority will be on confirming his future with a new Mercedes contract.
