‘George Russell exuding quiet sense of confidence as he heads into what could be defining year’

Russell has been a driver who has been waiting for the right car for seven years and could get it this year. This year’s new rules have given Mercedes a chance to reset and the indication so far is that they’ve done a much better job than last time.

Leaving testing in the paddock last month, the feeling was that Mercedes and Ferrari were the teams in the best shape; Red Bull and McLaren, on the other hand, were in the relatively close top four, perhaps a little behind in the standings, more than a second a lap ahead of everyone else.

Russell is confident enough in Mercedes’ potential to say he “thinks we’ve created a very strong car”, but remains cautious about the performance of Red Bull’s new engine.

Despite this, he is aiming high. “I want to go head-to-head with Max,” he says. “and of course Lando had a great season last year.”

That being the case, Russell’s obvious potential rivals this year are Verstappen, Norris, Piastri and the two Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Hamilton, before Melbourne gets its first glimpse of a real competitive set-up; if the seven-time champion can rediscover the excitement he lost last year and to some extent in 2024.

“I’m absolutely sure this will be a good year for him, but I don’t think we should expect him to be like George all the time,” Wolff said of Russell’s 19-year-old teammate Kimi Antonelli, who is entering his second season after an up-and-down debut in 2025.

Russell is good friends with world champion Norris and Leclerc. The three of them came from the lower ranks together and, along with Williams’ Alex Albon, believe the intense competition they gave each other was a key factor in them all reaching F1, as it forced each of them to raise their own standards to keep up with the others.

However, what whets the appetite the most may be his fight with Verstappen.