It is incredible to consider how unfortunate his timing is. Beats Norris and Albon to the F2 title, gets promoted to by far the worst seat. Becomes a clear Mercedes level prospects, gets his chance just as they start to suffer with the current regs.
I rate the odds of Max actually joining Mercedes at slim to none. If you have spent time around Mercedes, the team is kind of corporate and Max is exactly the opposite. If Max went there, he would be expected to toe the line and behave himself and say and do things in a manner that I don’t think he would be comfortable with. Max is an absolute individualist and requires a lot of freedom. That doesn’t really square with Mercedes or Ferrari where the team comes first. Culturally, if Max decides to leave Red Bull, the best fit for him is Aston Martin. Aston Martin knows full well how to treat a rugged individualist multiple world champion like a king. Seb was happy there and Fernando is happy there culturally. And if they actually produce a winning car with Honda and Adrian Newey, the pull to Max could be irresistible if he decides Red Bull is no longer cutting it as no one thinks they’re going to produce a really competitive power unit for 2026 in their first effort ever to do so. Mark my words, we’re not going to see Max at Mercedes.
@@JohnWiku Danny ric isn’t near max verstappen bro Ricciardo got matched by hulkenberg at Renault George is out here matching Lewis Hamilton also over 1 lap I reckon George could go toe to toe with 1 lap
@@ShakAKA12Didn’t know finishing five spots ahead in the standings, winning the quali battle by 7, winning the race battle by 5, and having three more retirements is getting “matched” but alright.
@@justinwalker823 as a lifelong fan of Danny Ric... with a signed picture on my wall... George clears Daniel. George is WDC material Danny never was. He never wanted it enough. He didn't have the mental strength on and OFF the grid. Easier to make big money than make a legacy that will never be forgotten by millions. Forever a late braker but never a championship winner.
It's kind of sad that George always seems to be two steps behind Leclerc and Lando. Both have multi-year contracts, which shows their teams' confidence in them. Leclerc drove a championship-worthy car at the start of 2022, and Lando had one in 2024, but neither could secure the title. George, however, hasn’t even had those chances yet.
It's a bit of exaggeration saying lectern drove a world championship car in 2022 , I mean the whole year for him was a disaster the Ferrari eventually fell off and was Miles behind the red bull and the team let him down massively throughout the entire season, so we still need to see a proper car for Charles in a championship fight in the future
George's career is very dependent on every circumstance except for himself. I believe he can win a WDC but it depends on a couple of things: - Kimi's first and second years - Whether if Max wants to stay in Red Bull or even the sport as a whole - If Lando develops the mental required for a title fight or Oscar becomes more polished as a driver - The car
Antonelli is going to get Vandoorne'd by Russell. Hamilton got absolutely shown up by Russell last year. What do you think is going to happen to a rookie who hasn't won anything worth a damn?
@ not winning in junior series doesn’t translate to bad driver. Stroll had a very impressive junior resume but we all know he shouldn’t be in the Aston Martin today. the fact that Toto and Mercedes put Kimi in F2 skipping F3 shows that he’s got serious talent and massive potential. i don’t think Kimi is gonna beat George first year or even come close, but if he does well enough to keep up Mercedes would throw everything to make sure he’s the future
@@zacktan1403Stroll’s junior resume is way less impressive when you understand the context. They had a developmental car at the Williams factory in F3, and he was DQ’d for having non-spec parts on his car. Also, they used team orders so often to try and force wins because the other driver knew Daddy Stroll was his boss so he’d better fall in line. Lance still didn’t win half the races that year.
You missed one: - whether he manages to piss off Max enough that Max waltzes into the Mercedes garage, sings a contract with Toto on the explicit condition that George is never to be in a F1 seat again. Then it is bye bye George.
3 Championship battles I think must happen in this era of the grid: Max Verstappen v. Charles Leclerc(2022 teaser) Max Verstappen v. Fernando Alonso(The last of the Old Guard) Max Verstappen v. George Russell(FiA's nightmare scenario)
Russell has lost a total of 70 points due to reliability and his dsq. His bad luck is absolutely crazy at times. He's not 100% always ahead of Hamilton, but he's ahead of him by just enough enough of the time to come out on top in 2 separate seasons. That's an astonshing feat. He's always had talent. I really wish Merc stops the decline and the 2025 car can fight for the championship and Russell proves that he deserves to stay at Mercedes. He waited in a Williams for 3 years and joined during Mercedes worst years since they first joined in the 2010-2013 seasons. He's proven that he's dedicated and loyal to the team. It would be an absolute disgrace if Toto does decide to drop George all because Toto is still trying to chase Max after he lost that chance almost a decade ago.
Joined Williams right as they absolutely plummeted, gets beaten by Kubica because of one shock result, would’ve won Sakhir when he was the sub but got it snatched away TWICE, doesn’t score until year 3 stuck at Williams at the back (including missing out by coming together with the guy in the seat he wants as he was floundering), finally gets into the Merc right as their dominance (the biggest in the sports history) ends, alongside a Hamilton who’s fired up by the absolute robbery of his 8th title by Masi instead of a Hamilton who’d have just retired otherwise, beats Hamilton overall but in a way that gets hand-waved away a lot, now leads Merc but will be alongside a junior who’s achieved FAR less than he has but is getting to jump straight in at Merc, has the threat of being kicked out if Verstappen wants to join Merc since Verstappen has been in the right place. I’d be absolutely livid, it’s gone SO wrong for Russell, he’d have expected to be a multi champion by now (and not unreasonably). I worry for him and Leclerc and Norris that Verstappen will just win all the titles until the Antonelli/Bearman generation properly gets going (or it might skip them too). They’re good enough to win titles, they just can’t close the experience gap that Verstappen has on them
A little overconfident that merc will excel the next couple areo changes aswell. I have confidence in their powertrains but McLaren, Williams, and alpine will have them. This won’t be 2014 again. And back then they sold the older engines. Now they have to be current spec
He'd still lose out to Hamilton if the car was dominant like it used to and if it was a two way fight against RBR and Max they'd take points off each other which would make Max the champion. In reality except for betters stats (more wins, podiums and poles), nothing would change for him.
TL;DR >Be George >Great driver >Get stuck with shitbox cars for his entire career >Still beat Sir Lewis >Get stuck with babysitting duty with some 18 year old This guy needs a break.
Here's the thing. You could do everything right and still not get a shot at competing for a Driver's Championship. Not even a Championship, look at Hulkenberg. Everyone recognizes him as a good consistent driver, but never got the chance to prove himself at the front despite this. George is a better driver than Nico, but that is just to say that this shit could happen.
Hulkenburg hasn’t done great against some teammates tho. He was pretty even against Pérez, sure it was prime Pérez but neither of those drivers are really top tier and they proved it against each other.
@maxdavis7722 I feel like hulk is top tier, or should be imo since you say prime perez, and the one perez we have had is dogwater and was able to sometimes beat max So imagine prime perez agaisnt max, hell even Hulk, hulk would be able to compete agaisnt max fairly often well, we will never know sadly
Is George actually the next Riccardo? - In the junior wing of the most dominant team - Missed out getting promoted during dominance because of team's "loyalty" to the "number 2" driver. - Joined just when dominance finished, up against the multiple WDC, and beat him. - Team, while not even improving, already has eyes on the next "prodigy" under 18 who didn't even win (or drive) F2.
Damn, when you put it like that. Next move is he moves to a promising midtable factory team after getting shown up by his junior teammate. Russell to Audi/Cadillac 2027 confirmed?
I feel sorry for George, I could feel by the time he got to Mercedes that they would lose competitiveness, the Ricciardo effect. But I do feel he is underestimated. He would have done better against Max than Lando did I think.
Great video! And I’m really glad that people are starting to appreciate Russell a bit more. I think he is going to stay with Mercedes for few more years. Yes, Toto is interested in Max but I don’t think he will be replacing George and that he is gonna get an extension pretty early. Max also won’t be leaving Red Bull anytime soon- he just isn’t that type of the guy. Fun fact: Toto isn’t known for giving long contracts to his drivers Lewis was on 3 year deals twice (first two contracts 2013-2015-2018) then on two year (till 2020), then 1 year and two year was his last one.
Lewis is the best driver of the previous generation that's why Toto and Niki pushed to get him from McLaren. It's clear Max is the best driver of this current generation. Toto wants the best driver in his car, and he has the money to make it happen. The problem is the best drivers want to drive the best cars, that's partly why Lewis is leaving, and why Max, for now at least, won't even look in the Merc's direction.
Russell is, at best, the fourth best driver on the grid. It doesn't matter where he will go. He will always be frustrated and will never have a shot at becoming WC.
I disagree I think he has the potential given the correct circumstances, this year when he's had a shot at a win he's shown his mettle, Spain turn one also is a highlight
All it takes is 1 perfect regulation execution. If he has a competitive car he definitely will put up a better title fight than Lando but Max is still superior.
The guy beat hamilton in 2 of his 3 seasons. Objectively, he can claim to be a great driver by this feat alone, and normal people without an insane conspiracy mind would agree. He's a multiple race winner, is driving for a great Team, and probably gets 10m per year. At age 24 or so. Dont see too many reasons to be frustrated
I would have expected a changing of the guard to happen. Usually the young ones come into the sport/team and destroy the older ones but that didn't really happen
The truth is, in F1, you as a driver HAVE TO PERFORM ALL THE TIME. Because most F1 fans only look at the most recent races/results and judge a driver based on these races/results. F1 is NOT just a sport, it is a huge business. As we saw in 2024, no matter how good you are (in this case Sainz), if someone who's shown that they can win or perform at the highest level when the stars align and has more fame and more prestige is available (Hamilton in that case), you'll be shown the door anyway. And I think this will happen to George unless he wins the title (ot at least is able to challenge for it) or Antonelli turns out to be Sargeant 2.0
He need best car* by a mile. Maybe when we kick Lec, Nor, Ham Ver HaM ALO, and few others out of F1 he will have a chance to win in a non-dominant car.
I feel like part of the issue with Mercedes is they run it like a corporation more than as a team I feel like George fits that mould really well and like he is the type of person that can handle that environment and be successful in it I think right now it’s just a matter of time to see what Mercedes do with the new regulation cycle but I personally would not see Max moving to Mercedes, so I feel like George is pretty safe there for now and I mainly don’t see Max making the move. I think he’s going to retire at the end of his Red Bull contract and go do the world endurance championship or another form of motorsport. He’s already indicated he has no desire to be the best F1 driver in history and continue forever, he seems to want other things
You know what would be extremely funny? that by 2026 Max agrees to go to Mercedes, they kick George out, and he gets hired by Redbull, and then in the 2026 season Mercedes fails again and Redbull gives a competitive car to Russell
Clearly George proven to not be a WDC material. He can barely put up a fight against Lewis at the twilight of his career. WDC material like Max would demolish Lewis in the same car given the different stages of their careers. Often good results for Russel are caused by quirky, risky strategies which is great for a mid-tier team to score more podiums but it's no strategy for champrionship battle. The only reason Toto is still looking out for the next Lewis is because he still hasn't found one, if he did he'd fill the second seat with Sainz or Albon or someone else - there is no shortage of #2.
Recently there hasn't been as an unlucky of a driver as George. He showcased his great potential the one time he got to drive a Championship caliber car in Sakhir 2020. He should be talked in conversations as Charles equal, yet he hasn't had the chance of driving a competent car yet. I would have loved for Mercedes to promote him in 2021. Simply unlucky...
Mercedes will need to turn it around. Otherwise George will need to look elsewhere. I think he's one of the top 5 or 6 drivers on the grid. Needs the right situation
@@justinwalpole8956 russell is objectively not lucky, and i think it's disingenuous to bring up the 2022 season when that was an extremely difficult season for the pair of them
Russell is in a very vulnerable position because there’s almost nothing he can do to save his seat if Verstappen becomes available as Toto will always choose Verstappen and Antonelli over him. His priority has always been Mercedes but I don’t think that’s reciprocated anymore and he definitely needs to be looking at other options for 2026 so he can have something decent lined up if Mercedes decide not to extend his contract, he’s way too good to be at the back of the grid, needs to make sure he doesn’t find himself in a similar situation to Sainz.
Why would they keep Antonelli over Russell? He hasn’t even started racing in F1 and people are already putting him ahead of George or even calling him a wdc. He’s had two fp1 so far, in one he crashed out early in the session and in the other one he was miles off George
@@oscarcallejas-arq They'd keep Antonelli because he's not a threat to Verstappen. Russell would be. Verstappen has made absolutely no secret of the fact that he doesn't want competition, especially in the same team.
@ Mercedes have put a lot of time and faith in Antonelli and I don’t see them getting rid after 1 season unless he’s absolutely disastrous. I also don’t think there’s any chance that Verstappen and Russell would be teammates, I don’t think Toto would want to do that as he’s been here before and would definitely not want a repeat, also don’t think Verstappen joins Mercedes if Russell is in the other car, if he goes there then it will in place of Russell unfortunately, even though he absolutely does not deserve to get dropped and is more than good enough to lead Mercedes.
@@footballandf1fan523 fair enough, I think a guy from Mercedes said that basically next year would be a fight between George and Kimi for the seat if Max is available. I think Max would want to wait how 2026 unfolds and who has the best car and then he will join that team, I personally see him staying at Red Bull at least until the end of 2026
I could see a Damon Hill type situation where George actually wins the wdc, but gets booted in favour of Max…. He ends up in Audi or Alpine maybe winning one race and retires. Hope not
@@philiptownsend4026he’s a well proven champion in a Newey car, as was Vettel and we see how that went after he stepped out of it. Also some questionable things by the team. Max himself is a problem, very quick to throw the team under the bus and needs to be coddled like Horner does him. And that’s not even getting to the fact he’s one of the most dirty drivers to ever get behind a wheel, totally incapable of racing cleanly in wheel to wheel situations.
I laugh when I see people saying he will or won’t be a WDC when it’s completely dependent on circumstance that we don’t know yet. If I had to predict I would say George won’t win a title but it’s nothing more than a hunch. We expect max to keep winning but redbull might be a midfield car next season we just don’t know
No package - No delivery has always ruled and with 24 races that is even more true. Verstappen may win next year again if Red Bull continue to have a great car. If not then Charles, George and Lando/Oscar have a chance. Who knows for 26/27? Personally I want Charles to have a championship- but it isn’t a given for any of them. Can’t wait for it all to start again.
Redbull in 2016 was on a upwards trajectory??? I meanwhat are you smoking man !!!! They went from being 4 time double world champion to Scraping for podiums and wins by 2016
They may have been, bit that trajectory flatlined until 2021. And even then it was because of the floor rule change affecting Merc worse. And the illegal Ferrari engine being taken out.
I reckon he will end up being as successful as someone like Button. I see a championship, not multiple, and a fair few decent wins along the way etc, but never someone who’s going to have a large period of dominance. I’m basing this purely off vibes alone so take that as you will 🤣
Button was the exact opposite type of driver. He wasn't a good qualifier but he was incredibly consistent in races. Russell's proven to be an outstanding qualifier who consistently falls off in races.
@@F1jonesI don’t think he fails in races I think it’s way more on strategy and tbh I think it’s lazy to say he has bad race pace, George has made atupid strategies somehow work and also his racing iq is incredible. Making decisions that would win him races, while not even being a strategist. Abu Dhabi I don’t believe is an example of it because an alternate strategy that Lewis has, has the intention of being everything to gain and nothing to lose.
When he steped up in Bahrein to substitute Lewis, it was pretty clear to me that he was world Champion material. No doubt about it. First Race with the team, best car, under massive pressure to perform, he was flawless. I assume that with more time with that car during that season, he would obliterate bottas and become a world Champion in his first season with the team. His time with Merc has been massively underrated but hasn't let himself or the team down. With stability and a fast car, Russell Will be there for sure.
Mika Salo did the same thing subbing for Schumacher in 1999, and Jarier did as well in Canada 1978. No one ever said they were championship material for leading a race with LESS pressure than one has during an entire championship campaign.
@@F1jones Salo was nowhere near as good as Russell was. Salo was consistently worse than Irvine, while Russell in the first and only race he had for Mercedes in the season qualified right behind Bottas, passed him on the first lap, and would likely have won without the pit errors by the team.
6 years in his F1 career, Russell still evidently struggles with pressure, tyre wear and a lack of race pace compared to his teammate. He is not that good. I fully believe Antonelli will be up to pace with him by mid 2025.
Good driver and capable of winning a WDC if the car is dominant. Not sure about his mental resilience though he wasn't afraid of ramming Max or any other driver.
I think in some ways George was incredibly lucky. Had Lewis really won his 8th championship in 21 and retired, the downfall of Mercedes in the ground effect era would have been attributed to George rather than the team. But with Lewis staying as a benchmark, we know when George got the most out of the car and when he didn’t.
Russell most reminds me of Nigel Mansell, even moreso than Ricciardo. Difference between Ricciardo and Russell is that we've seen he's capable of adapting to different ranges of cars very quickly, as opposed to Danny who took time to adapt, if at all. We saw Mansell be great at a plentitude of teams/cars before finally getting a lucky break and finally winning a title.
I undersand people hate George for his very PR and two faced attitudes but just because someone is a dick, it doesnt mean they are a bad driver, George is one the best on the grid, he got the Mercedes seat for a reason, he won F2 and F3 back to back, and has shown in Brazil 22, Vegas 24, that on his day, he can be the best in the world and thats a quailty that only world champion calibre drivers have. Yes, he's annoying two-faced, teachers' pet, but that doesn't make him a bad driver.
George is a great driver, and I actually accept it if a great driver is a bit of dick sometimes. You occasionally need to be to succeed. However, what bothers me is that unlike Max and Fernando for example, George pretends to be the nice guy but actually isn't. It's more likable to just embrace the 'dickness' in you rather than forcefully try to hide it, and ultimately failing at it.
Best on the day isn't enough, needs to be best on at least 90% of days to be WC - look back on, say, the last ten or fifteen years, the champions have all been consistent.
@@superstar_h_gamer5211 If Lewis didnt get verstappened in the race he wouldve likely won without the damage and lost ground from the collision as he was able to keep within 1 second of george, even with damage.
@ he finished less than 2 seconds in front of Hamilton. Verstappen literally tried to crash Hamilton out of the race, so he lost time due to the crash and the damaged car. Use your brain
Kimi Antonelli might be in an even more difficult spot. He is on the team as the clear no 2 driver and will have the job of supporting Gearge. At the same time he needs to show that he is capable of bringing in results for himself and that all in a car that we don't know whether or not it will be competetive. On top of that when they are getting Max he will be locked down on no 2 position indefinitly or better said untill either he or Max leaves the team, which again means he needs to have good results to even get a chance as a number 1 driver in a top team in the future.
All merc really needs to do is get George and kimi in one of their older cars which where more dominant and tell em get the best lap time possible. Georgie should have an advantage as he likely drove in the era that car existed just he wasn’t driving it and he drove in f1 for years. Doing this will be able to give Mercedes clues on how much further ahead is George, I really doubt kimi will be faster than George right away but in the future possibly
I felt awful for george that he worked so hard in the williams cars then whilt the car was an improvement was far from the championship contender that he hoped it would be
I agree with almost all of your analysis except for the idea that Kimi will automatically be at Merc long term as long as he doesn’t pull a Logan. IMO, if he’s mediocre for more than one season, he’s gone.
@ Indeed. Toto has particularly staked a lot of his reputation on Kimi (he’s desperate for his own Max), but if he ends up slow and crash happy, that won’t save him. However, even if he shows merely flashes of brilliance, they’ll give him tons of patience.
It is more badly managed career rather than just frustrating career. I wonder if George was ever advised to study German (quite telling thing on long term team and driver intentions to be honest). Then 3 long years at the back of the grid (3 valuable years for development in the team that was almost «on the verge of bankruptcy»). Lack of negotiations for contract renewal from George’s side in 2023, where it was clear that being a free agent before the regulation change was never a good position to be in, and now George is exactly in this position. Where he cannot expect more than 1 year deal as 3rd Merc contract (the best option in his current situation). Certainly it all can be different if any contract announcement is made during this winter, but it is highly unlikely. I can see that he will be used as litmus test to his new team-mate for a 1/4 of the season and then most probably will be sacrificed to create a new name for the sport, where it will be so convenient to remind to the world that they were closely matched with Lewis.
The mentality angle feels a bit disingenuous to me. It's easy to stand up and not be mentally fatigued by verstappen when he's never really fighting him. Lando is fighting wheel to wheel with the man most of the season for what is ultimately podium places while Russell is realistically fighting for 5th at best.
I do think Russell is a great driver maybe not the best right now Hamilton and max are probably the best right now but I do think in time Russell will be w.c around 2029 with more experience under his belt...
Russel career has been settling him up to be the most hungry driver in the top teams. If he gets even half a sniff at a championship, he will grab it decisively.
idk if George can win a wdc for merc but GEORGE BEAT LEWIS CONVINCINGLY in 2024, and its kind of hilarious watching the brits and the teamLT refusing to rate Russell. 2024 was an awakening for George...re-watch the final laps in Montreal, in the wet, george overtook sir lewis himself on the last chicane to steal a podium finish. It was an aggressive, assertive overtake on a 7x wdc team mate. It's a sign of maturity, where George is done asking for permission, and instead is taking what he deserves. George deserves to lead a top team in F1 and yes he should easily beat Kimi in 2025.
He beats a dejected overly decorated senior citizen looking to go on a scenic stroll in Italy. Alright! When are you lot going to realize that no large cap usage online is gonna remove what Lewis has achieved. This younger class needs to dig deep and topple their current Alpha, Max. Yes the best teams wants the best drivers in their cars and the best driver do not wish to struggle in a shit box.
In my eyes I wouldn’t mind if Mercedes did swap George for Max. They would definitely have 2 drivers capable of winning championships. As for Red Bull, if Max were to leave, promote Isack Hadjar to Red Bulland bring Arvid Lindblad into Racing Bulls, that way they can still focus on developing their own young drivers
Princess george did not stand any ground against Max. The whiny little dramaqueen spread BS and lies and stole Max' pole. If the whiner so much as tries anything like that again, Max will utterly destroy georgieboy in the blink of an eye.
Max spent just as many years in a non title winning car as George. Red Bull were obviously better than Williams, but not better than Merc in recent years.
Ironically, he got the first win compared to Albon & Norris... If the car is good enough, he'll be good enough. He's had to overdrive the various cars he's had because they've not been good consistently. I hope he gets the chance to show how good he really is.
The best cars, teams, drivers, managers and engineers magnetically attract each other. I don't see GR joining one of those circles... He thought he had but it didn't work out and Merc are at a low point in their cycle now.
It feels like Russell is the “middle child” of Mercedes in the sense that he’s always overlooked no matter the issues he faces. Because the attention goes towards the proven talent(Hamilton, Verstappen) or the potential (Kimi) while his career is derailed by the future potential of the team.
2024 Australian GP, Singapore 2023, Imola 2021,. These races show Russell's real potential and his driving culture. In the British bubble, driving a car into a wall was not a driver error but a coup carried out by Allonso, crashing behind Noris was because Russell is so "incredibly fast and the best". And the imola in which he crashed his Botas, called him names on the radio, jumped out of the car and tried to fight him. - never happened ands It's not worth mentioning that we have such a madman in F1. But when another driver says "fuck" on the team radio... the media (British) and rusell gives him hell.
Is there any other driver in the field who jumped out of the car during the race and attacked his rival with his fists after the accident? Is such a show good for children? He uses the "children's welfare" card in every media war. And he himself is the worst example of sportsmanship, much worse than Stroll harassing employees or Max harassing people in the paddock.
I wouldn’t say frustrating. For the level of driver he is he has had a good career so far. He isn’t on the level of a max or a prime Lewis, or a leclerc, alonso, and so on. Maybe one year he will get a wdc if a good opportunity arises, like when rosberg or button won it
Rosberg nearly destroyed himself to win that one championship. While I like JB a lot he struck very lucky with a technical innovation to win his championship despite very difficult circumstances. It was the quality of Ross Brawn's management that facilitated it.
George has shown what he can do tome after time after time, and nobody seems to even care. All those heroic drives to Q3 and scoring points for Williams, all the times where George has squeezed his Mercedes into places it didnt belong, the fantastic pole positions and wins, and not an ounce of recognition. Belgium 2020, Sakhir 2020, Austria 2021, Silverstone 2021, Belgium 2021, Hungary 22, Brazil 22, Bahrain 24, Austria 24, Vegas 24, and more, all outstanding performances. He has been voted Driver of the Day ONCE in his entire career.
I don’t know why they don’t let the old man rest. He proven himself against the best of his peers, these lot should do the same. Max is who stands their path to glory.
I think Russell's personality is his downfall and will ultimately cost him. He's just too two faced and obnoxious at times. Consistency is the key and he has none of it. He's a blame shirker, pure and simple. Sure he can hustle a reasonable car pretty well but then again they all can, that's why they're all there.
Mercedes not knowing why their car is fast sometimes is regarded to me a way to blind the competition. Mercedes wasn't able to correct the flaws witch are by logic are situated in the chassis and suspension layout. Let's see what they come-up with in '25. George is likely to have a career like Carlos Sainz. He is regarded to be the top nr. two driver. I don't know why due to George beating Lewis twice in their three seasons together. Antonelli being hyped up as the new Verstappen but binning the car in his first Mercedes FP1 in the second flying lap is not promising. Verstappen made his FP1 debut in Japan 2014, in the same weekend Jules Bianchi crashed with lethal consequences. Verstappen was quicker than the sitting drivers and kept the car on track.
Judging a driver by an FP1 session isn't an accurate benchmark. Yes, he crashed, mostly because he was pushing too hard in a fresh, low grip asphalt. In the few laps he did, he was incredibly fast.
@AgainstWokeness To crash not even your own car in the second run in a non-competitive session isn't promising. Especially if the team asked you to build the session.
I think he was at the perfect place at the perfect time. He's a second rate A tier driver who's just had a boost against a past-his-peak Hamilton. Given his objective level of driving in races after six seasons, nothing else could have raised his level of reputation more.
Came here to leave a very similar comment, George isn't that good, his mental is atrocious, his racecraft is straight up bad, he's an incessant whiner etc etc. He doesn't even belong in the Merc seat.
George is definetly a WC material driver In my eyes. A "past-his-peak" Hamilton is kinda an exaggeration, His experience and 7WC s is actually giving him a boost, so this coin kinda has two sides. I admit that sometimes George has a fierce attitude towards Max and the other top team drivers, but as a package, George Is Top 4 On the grid right now
@@kristoffer3000defo a salty max or Lewis fan here Guys done pretty much everything right in his career and still getting told he doesn’t deserve his seat… 😂
It is incredible to consider how unfortunate his timing is. Beats Norris and Albon to the F2 title, gets promoted to by far the worst seat. Becomes a clear Mercedes level prospects, gets his chance just as they start to suffer with the current regs.
Is that George Russell from the hit team yadiyada Williams who beat Kimi Antonelli in equal machinery and then threw his career?
I rate the odds of Max actually joining Mercedes at slim to none.
If you have spent time around Mercedes, the team is kind of corporate and Max is exactly the opposite. If Max went there, he would be expected to toe the line and behave himself and say and do things in a manner that I don’t think he would be comfortable with.
Max is an absolute individualist and requires a lot of freedom. That doesn’t really square with Mercedes or Ferrari where the team comes first.
Culturally, if Max decides to leave Red Bull, the best fit for him is Aston Martin. Aston Martin knows full well how to treat a rugged individualist multiple world champion like a king.
Seb was happy there and Fernando is happy there culturally. And if they actually produce a winning car with Honda and Adrian Newey, the pull to Max could be irresistible if he decides Red Bull is no longer cutting it as no one thinks they’re going to produce a really competitive power unit for 2026 in their first effort ever to do so.
Mark my words, we’re not going to see Max at Mercedes.
Aston with Max would be awesome
Window licker will still be in Aston tho
Max seems very loyal, i think him and GP leaving redbull would be him retiring
In Aston you either respect daddy stroll (and lance) or you're out, not something I see max doing. (unless both strolls leave the team)
The Strolls unfortunately can't leave since they fund the team
Russel’s career reminds me of Daniel Riccardo’s, but his hopefully it doesn’t end up like Riccardo.
He’s better than Danny ric
@@ShakAKA12 Bro got flipped by rookie Alonso's wake, he's no where near Danny Ric, or Max Verstappen.
@@JohnWiku Danny ric isn’t near max verstappen bro Ricciardo got matched by hulkenberg at Renault George is out here matching Lewis Hamilton also over 1 lap I reckon George could go toe to toe with 1 lap
@@ShakAKA12Didn’t know finishing five spots ahead in the standings, winning the quali battle by 7, winning the race battle by 5, and having three more retirements is getting “matched” but alright.
@@justinwalker823 as a lifelong fan of Danny Ric... with a signed picture on my wall... George clears Daniel. George is WDC material Danny never was. He never wanted it enough. He didn't have the mental strength on and OFF the grid. Easier to make big money than make a legacy that will never be forgotten by millions. Forever a late braker but never a championship winner.
It's kind of sad that George always seems to be two steps behind Leclerc and Lando. Both have multi-year contracts, which shows their teams' confidence in them. Leclerc drove a championship-worthy car at the start of 2022, and Lando had one in 2024, but neither could secure the title. George, however, hasn’t even had those chances yet.
He will show us what he can do once he has a car
I'm not sure what you watched in 2023 but it was not F1
*2024
It's a bit of exaggeration saying lectern drove a world championship car in 2022 , I mean the whole year for him was a disaster the Ferrari eventually fell off and was Miles behind the red bull and the team let him down massively throughout the entire season, so we still need to see a proper car for Charles in a championship fight in the future
@@J-Eaganis that fair to say? It was one of the best seasons in a while, especially if you remove the first quarter of the season
George's career is very dependent on every circumstance except for himself. I believe he can win a WDC but it depends on a couple of things:
- Kimi's first and second years
- Whether if Max wants to stay in Red Bull or even the sport as a whole
- If Lando develops the mental required for a title fight or Oscar becomes more polished as a driver
- The car
Antonelli is going to get Vandoorne'd by Russell. Hamilton got absolutely shown up by Russell last year. What do you think is going to happen to a rookie who hasn't won anything worth a damn?
@ not winning in junior series doesn’t translate to bad driver. Stroll had a very impressive junior resume but we all know he shouldn’t be in the Aston Martin today. the fact that Toto and Mercedes put Kimi in F2 skipping F3 shows that he’s got serious talent and massive potential. i don’t think Kimi is gonna beat George first year or even come close, but if he does well enough to keep up Mercedes would throw everything to make sure he’s the future
@@LSB001the vandoorne analogy is unfortunately a really good one
@@zacktan1403Stroll’s junior resume is way less impressive when you understand the context. They had a developmental car at the Williams factory in F3, and he was DQ’d for having non-spec parts on his car. Also, they used team orders so often to try and force wins because the other driver knew Daddy Stroll was his boss so he’d better fall in line. Lance still didn’t win half the races that year.
You missed one:
- whether he manages to piss off Max enough that Max waltzes into the Mercedes garage, sings a contract with Toto on the explicit condition that George is never to be in a F1 seat again. Then it is bye bye George.
3 Championship battles I think must happen in this era of the grid:
Max Verstappen v. Charles Leclerc(2022 teaser)
Max Verstappen v. Fernando Alonso(The last of the Old Guard)
Max Verstappen v. George Russell(FiA's nightmare scenario)
2023 SHOULD have been Max vs Fernando if only Aston Martin hadn't fumbled the upgrades as badly as they did.
@@Kuromori-v9z More like if red bull didn't build a insane rocket ship
@@Kuromori-v9z or if ALO was still in a McLaren as long as HAM was in a Mercedes...
@@blauekits7782Can't fault Fernando for leaving McLaren for good though. He was given a shitbox after shitbox year after year.
@@blauekits7782 Alonso in the 2024 McLaren would've been dreamland.
Russell has lost a total of 70 points due to reliability and his dsq. His bad luck is absolutely crazy at times. He's not 100% always ahead of Hamilton, but he's ahead of him by just enough enough of the time to come out on top in 2 separate seasons. That's an astonshing feat. He's always had talent. I really wish Merc stops the decline and the 2025 car can fight for the championship and Russell proves that he deserves to stay at Mercedes. He waited in a Williams for 3 years and joined during Mercedes worst years since they first joined in the 2010-2013 seasons. He's proven that he's dedicated and loyal to the team. It would be an absolute disgrace if Toto does decide to drop George all because Toto is still trying to chase Max after he lost that chance almost a decade ago.
Joined Williams right as they absolutely plummeted, gets beaten by Kubica because of one shock result, would’ve won Sakhir when he was the sub but got it snatched away TWICE, doesn’t score until year 3 stuck at Williams at the back (including missing out by coming together with the guy in the seat he wants as he was floundering), finally gets into the Merc right as their dominance (the biggest in the sports history) ends, alongside a Hamilton who’s fired up by the absolute robbery of his 8th title by Masi instead of a Hamilton who’d have just retired otherwise, beats Hamilton overall but in a way that gets hand-waved away a lot, now leads Merc but will be alongside a junior who’s achieved FAR less than he has but is getting to jump straight in at Merc, has the threat of being kicked out if Verstappen wants to join Merc since Verstappen has been in the right place.
I’d be absolutely livid, it’s gone SO wrong for Russell, he’d have expected to be a multi champion by now (and not unreasonably).
I worry for him and Leclerc and Norris that Verstappen will just win all the titles until the Antonelli/Bearman generation properly gets going (or it might skip them too). They’re good enough to win titles, they just can’t close the experience gap that Verstappen has on them
A little overconfident that merc will excel the next couple areo changes aswell. I have confidence in their powertrains but McLaren, Williams, and alpine will have them. This won’t be 2014 again. And back then they sold the older engines. Now they have to be current spec
That's assuming if Verstappen will even be in F1 after 2025
He'd still lose out to Hamilton if the car was dominant like it used to and if it was a two way fight against RBR and Max they'd take points off each other which would make Max the champion. In reality except for betters stats (more wins, podiums and poles), nothing would change for him.
I like George. He's rather unlucky.
I hope he gets a car that show cases his skill like Lewis, Max and Vettel did.
how can anyone like George, he's the fakest little snake on the planet
TL;DR
>Be George
>Great driver
>Get stuck with shitbox cars for his entire career
>Still beat Sir Lewis
>Get stuck with babysitting duty with some 18 year old
This guy needs a break.
1:58 How dare you say the goat Nicholas Latifi is horrible.
Here's the thing. You could do everything right and still not get a shot at competing for a Driver's Championship. Not even a Championship, look at Hulkenberg. Everyone recognizes him as a good consistent driver, but never got the chance to prove himself at the front despite this. George is a better driver than Nico, but that is just to say that this shit could happen.
Hulkenburg hasn’t done great against some teammates tho. He was pretty even against Pérez, sure it was prime Pérez but neither of those drivers are really top tier and they proved it against each other.
@maxdavis7722 I feel like hulk is top tier, or should be imo
since you say prime perez, and the one perez we have had is dogwater and was able to sometimes beat max
So imagine prime perez agaisnt max, hell even Hulk, hulk would be able to compete agaisnt max fairly often
well, we will never know sadly
@maxdavis7722will commit this to memory, fam
@@skMepo Jean Alesi and Stirling Moss are other great examples too.
Is George actually the next Riccardo?
- In the junior wing of the most dominant team
- Missed out getting promoted during dominance because of team's "loyalty" to the "number 2" driver.
- Joined just when dominance finished, up against the multiple WDC, and beat him.
- Team, while not even improving, already has eyes on the next "prodigy" under 18 who didn't even win (or drive) F2.
he's the Ricciardo, but he wants to be Schumacher
@@Forest2TS Question is who doesn't want to be Schumacher
@@KaunHeBeTu well, Lando Norris
love seeing my 2 least favorite drivers getting compared to each other.
Damn, when you put it like that. Next move is he moves to a promising midtable factory team after getting shown up by his junior teammate. Russell to Audi/Cadillac 2027 confirmed?
I feel sorry for George, I could feel by the time he got to Mercedes that they would lose competitiveness, the Ricciardo effect. But I do feel he is underestimated. He would have done better against Max than Lando did I think.
Yeah we seen that in Qatar..
@VIRALforYOU2 cherry picking... we have also seen races were russell has gotten max instead. You can't just look at one race.
The great thing for George is that he is not going to get bullied like Lando was bullied by max in 2024..and it will be fun in a title battle..
But the problem Russel does is making max angry. That’s the last person you should make angry on the track 😂
Sure, then he'll meet the wall a few more times than Lando did.
@@charliegath6125but he also wouldn’t have the fear of going wheel to wheel to him
He isn’t afraid to upset max
Great video! And I’m really glad that people are starting to appreciate Russell a bit more. I think he is going to stay with Mercedes for few more years. Yes, Toto is interested in Max but I don’t think he will be replacing George and that he is gonna get an extension pretty early. Max also won’t be leaving Red Bull anytime soon- he just isn’t that type of the guy. Fun fact: Toto isn’t known for giving long contracts to his drivers Lewis was on 3 year deals twice (first two contracts 2013-2015-2018) then on two year (till 2020), then 1 year and two year was his last one.
I don't see a future where max joins Mercedes.
Lewis is the best driver of the previous generation that's why Toto and Niki pushed to get him from McLaren. It's clear Max is the best driver of this current generation. Toto wants the best driver in his car, and he has the money to make it happen. The problem is the best drivers want to drive the best cars, that's partly why Lewis is leaving, and why Max, for now at least, won't even look in the Merc's direction.
Cudos to you for getting it, unfortunately most people that frequent these spaces thinks the top drivers want to struggle in a subpar car.
Russell is, at best, the fourth best driver on the grid. It doesn't matter where he will go. He will always be frustrated and will never have a shot at becoming WC.
I disagree I think he has the potential given the correct circumstances, this year when he's had a shot at a win he's shown his mettle, Spain turn one also is a highlight
Lando had a chance and he is easily behind George. So George will definitely get a chance.
All it takes is 1 perfect regulation execution. If he has a competitive car he definitely will put up a better title fight than Lando but Max is still superior.
If he is in a dominant car like the Mercedes era any good driver can be champion. Bottas would have been if Lewis wasn't around.
Abysmal take when russell has had an inconsistent shitbox since he started his f1 career
The guy beat hamilton in 2 of his 3 seasons. Objectively, he can claim to be a great driver by this feat alone, and normal people without an insane conspiracy mind would agree.
He's a multiple race winner, is driving for a great Team, and probably gets 10m per year. At age 24 or so. Dont see too many reasons to be frustrated
Lewis was on experimental set up on two of those seasons but he's still a good driver
I would have expected a changing of the guard to happen. Usually the young ones come into the sport/team and destroy the older ones but that didn't really happen
Too bad George himself disagrees with your take. No championships, no care.
@@saqib7965 Why is there always an excuse when Hamilton gets beaten?
The truth is, in F1, you as a driver HAVE TO PERFORM ALL THE TIME. Because most F1 fans only look at the most recent races/results and judge a driver based on these races/results. F1 is NOT just a sport, it is a huge business. As we saw in 2024, no matter how good you are (in this case Sainz), if someone who's shown that they can win or perform at the highest level when the stars align and has more fame and more prestige is available (Hamilton in that case), you'll be shown the door anyway. And I think this will happen to George unless he wins the title (ot at least is able to challenge for it) or Antonelli turns out to be Sargeant 2.0
if merc gets verstappen, rb will get russel 99% and maybe thats a blessing in disguise for him
Yes, that's why George probably doesn't need to sweat that much
@MariNchello76 Red Bull would not sign Russell...
@@HabitualLine-Stepper they considered him as an option this year when the verstappen rumours started
Russell Just needs the car simple as that he's shown he's capable of winning whenever the car is good
As can most drivers.
He need best car* by a mile.
Maybe when we kick Lec, Nor, Ham Ver HaM ALO, and few others out of F1 he will have a chance to win in a non-dominant car.
People seem to keep forgetting Max is signed with RBR until 2028 and has repeatedly voiced his commitment to fulfill his contract.
I feel like part of the issue with Mercedes is they run it like a corporation more than as a team I feel like George fits that mould really well and like he is the type of person that can handle that environment and be successful in it I think right now it’s just a matter of time to see what Mercedes do with the new regulation cycle but I personally would not see Max moving to Mercedes, so I feel like George is pretty safe there for now and I mainly don’t see Max making the move. I think he’s going to retire at the end of his Red Bull contract and go do the world endurance championship or another form of motorsport. He’s already indicated he has no desire to be the best F1 driver in history and continue forever, he seems to want other things
You know what would be extremely funny? that by 2026 Max agrees to go to Mercedes, they kick George out, and he gets hired by Redbull, and then in the 2026 season Mercedes fails again and Redbull gives a competitive car to Russell
Exactly What i was thinking
Clearly George proven to not be a WDC material. He can barely put up a fight against Lewis at the twilight of his career. WDC material like Max would demolish Lewis in the same car given the different stages of their careers. Often good results for Russel are caused by quirky, risky strategies which is great for a mid-tier team to score more podiums but it's no strategy for champrionship battle. The only reason Toto is still looking out for the next Lewis is because he still hasn't found one, if he did he'd fill the second seat with Sainz or Albon or someone else - there is no shortage of #2.
Recently there hasn't been as an unlucky of a driver as George. He showcased his great potential the one time he got to drive a Championship caliber car in Sakhir 2020. He should be talked in conversations as Charles equal, yet he hasn't had the chance of driving a competent car yet. I would have loved for Mercedes to promote him in 2021. Simply unlucky...
Mercedes will need to turn it around. Otherwise George will need to look elsewhere. I think he's one of the top 5 or 6 drivers on the grid. Needs the right situation
Such is George Russell's luck. Should be a movie.
He was very lucky in 2022 compared to hamilton
@@justinwalpole8956 russell is objectively not lucky, and i think it's disingenuous to bring up the 2022 season when that was an extremely difficult season for the pair of them
@heijzl he was definitely very lucky in 2022.
Really interesting episode Aldas, happy new year!
Russell is in a very vulnerable position because there’s almost nothing he can do to save his seat if Verstappen becomes available as Toto will always choose Verstappen and Antonelli over him. His priority has always been Mercedes but I don’t think that’s reciprocated anymore and he definitely needs to be looking at other options for 2026 so he can have something decent lined up if Mercedes decide not to extend his contract, he’s way too good to be at the back of the grid, needs to make sure he doesn’t find himself in a similar situation to Sainz.
Why would they keep Antonelli over Russell? He hasn’t even started racing in F1 and people are already putting him ahead of George or even calling him a wdc. He’s had two fp1 so far, in one he crashed out early in the session and in the other one he was miles off George
@@oscarcallejas-arq
They'd keep Antonelli because he's not a threat to Verstappen. Russell would be.
Verstappen has made absolutely no secret of the fact that he doesn't want competition, especially in the same team.
@ Mercedes have put a lot of time and faith in Antonelli and I don’t see them getting rid after 1 season unless he’s absolutely disastrous. I also don’t think there’s any chance that Verstappen and Russell would be teammates, I don’t think Toto would want to do that as he’s been here before and would definitely not want a repeat, also don’t think Verstappen joins Mercedes if Russell is in the other car, if he goes there then it will in place of Russell unfortunately, even though he absolutely does not deserve to get dropped and is more than good enough to lead Mercedes.
@@footballandf1fan523 fair enough, I think a guy from Mercedes said that basically next year would be a fight between George and Kimi for the seat if Max is available. I think Max would want to wait how 2026 unfolds and who has the best car and then he will join that team, I personally see him staying at Red Bull at least until the end of 2026
@@LSB001Russell a threat to Verstappen? Please don’t be ridiculous, Max would easily destroy Woodie in equal machinery
I could see a Damon Hill type situation where George actually wins the wdc, but gets booted in favour of Max…. He ends up in Audi or Alpine maybe winning one race and retires. Hope not
If Toto does pursue Max, I wish him ever single headache that decision will bring him
Absolutely. MV is very fast and a well proven champion but he does bring an awful lot of baggage, a real pain to manage.
@@philiptownsend4026he’s a well proven champion in a Newey car, as was Vettel and we see how that went after he stepped out of it. Also some questionable things by the team. Max himself is a problem, very quick to throw the team under the bus and needs to be coddled like Horner does him. And that’s not even getting to the fact he’s one of the most dirty drivers to ever get behind a wheel, totally incapable of racing cleanly in wheel to wheel situations.
Im a big Russell Fan, got a model car of him in the W14 and got stickers of his logo. Hate how he was shafted by the world.
The poor millionaire isn't liked by some F1 fans on social media. Truly tragic.
@@Vislow all thanks to himself
When people start to pitty you, you are a looser.
So excited to see him next season
A Max George title championship battle would be peak F1
No chance of that happening for many reasons.
Sure but still would be peak
@@Rindiculousfun This will be the peak of hatred and lies from the toxic British media for sure.
Will it be a sporting feast? I don't think so.
I laugh when I see people saying he will or won’t be a WDC when it’s completely dependent on circumstance that we don’t know yet. If I had to predict I would say George won’t win a title but it’s nothing more than a hunch. We expect max to keep winning but redbull might be a midfield car next season we just don’t know
I believe that's all very true. I just can't see GR as WC.
2:10 shakir 2020 just prooved that fokin everyone would ve been WDC in Mercedes 😂
Russell can fight for a championship at least in the first part of the season
No package - No delivery has always ruled and with 24 races that is even more true. Verstappen may win next year again if Red Bull continue to have a great car. If not then Charles, George and Lando/Oscar have a chance. Who knows for 26/27? Personally I want Charles to have a championship- but it isn’t a given for any of them. Can’t wait for it all to start again.
Redbull in 2016 was on a upwards trajectory??? I meanwhat are you smoking man !!!! They went from being 4 time double world champion to Scraping for podiums and wins by 2016
Considering how terrible their 2015 season was, in 2016 they were definitely on an upwards trajectory
They may have been, bit that trajectory flatlined until 2021.
And even then it was because of the floor rule change affecting Merc worse. And the illegal Ferrari engine being taken out.
damn Russell has some serious jaundice in that thumbnail
Alonso's decisions have all been Briatore suggestions 😂😂😂😂
And never good ones.
Very nice video. I think Vettel is the perfect example of being at the right place at the right time and up against a very beatable teammate.
I reckon he will end up being as successful as someone like Button.
I see a championship, not multiple, and a fair few decent wins along the way etc, but never someone who’s going to have a large period of dominance.
I’m basing this purely off vibes alone so take that as you will 🤣
Button was the exact opposite type of driver. He wasn't a good qualifier but he was incredibly consistent in races. Russell's proven to be an outstanding qualifier who consistently falls off in races.
@@F1joneslike I said it’s just vibes 😅
I just think when it’s all said and done he will end up with a trophy cabinet similar to Jenson’s.
@@F1jonesI don’t think he fails in races
I think it’s way more on strategy and tbh I think it’s lazy to say he has bad race pace, George has made atupid strategies somehow work and also his racing iq is incredible. Making decisions that would win him races, while not even being a strategist. Abu Dhabi I don’t believe is an example of it because an alternate strategy that Lewis has, has the intention of being everything to gain and nothing to lose.
@VirkStar321 People are also easily forgetting that he’s only had a semi-competitive car for 3 seasons and has only been driving since 2019 😂
Imagine in one of the parallel universes Max and George having to cooperate under mercedes team :Dd
When he steped up in Bahrein to substitute Lewis, it was pretty clear to me that he was world Champion material. No doubt about it. First Race with the team, best car, under massive pressure to perform, he was flawless. I assume that with more time with that car during that season, he would obliterate bottas and become a world Champion in his first season with the team. His time with Merc has been massively underrated but hasn't let himself or the team down. With stability and a fast car, Russell Will be there for sure.
Mika Salo did the same thing subbing for Schumacher in 1999, and Jarier did as well in Canada 1978. No one ever said they were championship material for leading a race with LESS pressure than one has during an entire championship campaign.
Agree
@@F1jones Salo was nowhere near as good as Russell was. Salo was consistently worse than Irvine, while Russell in the first and only race he had for Mercedes in the season qualified right behind Bottas, passed him on the first lap, and would likely have won without the pit errors by the team.
Georgie needs a fast car, Georgie needs it now...
It was the W11. Latifi would have been on the podium with that car.
6 years in his F1 career, Russell still evidently struggles with pressure, tyre wear and a lack of race pace compared to his teammate. He is not that good. I fully believe Antonelli will be up to pace with him by mid 2025.
Good driver and capable of winning a WDC if the car is dominant. Not sure about his mental resilience though he wasn't afraid of ramming Max or any other driver.
I think he’s the only new era driver to have that mental resilience out of any of them
@VirkStar321 The same driver who binned it in the last lap twice by losing focus? Get a grip.
Great video keep it up you're doing amazing things 😁👍
George is poised to challenge for the world championship in 2025
I just can't see it. The necessary mental strength isn't there.
@@philiptownsend4026 lol, like you know
@@philiptownsend4026 Well maybe not you but other F1 fans had a different opinion and said the same thing about Max before his title run..
Feels like ages ago that they used to wear masks in interviews, Ocon’s Alpine mask was fire
I think in some ways George was incredibly lucky. Had Lewis really won his 8th championship in 21 and retired, the downfall of Mercedes in the ground effect era would have been attributed to George rather than the team. But with Lewis staying as a benchmark, we know when George got the most out of the car and when he didn’t.
Russell most reminds me of Nigel Mansell, even moreso than Ricciardo. Difference between Ricciardo and Russell is that we've seen he's capable of adapting to different ranges of cars very quickly, as opposed to Danny who took time to adapt, if at all. We saw Mansell be great at a plentitude of teams/cars before finally getting a lucky break and finally winning a title.
I undersand people hate George for his very PR and two faced attitudes but just because someone is a dick, it doesnt mean they are a bad driver, George is one the best on the grid, he got the Mercedes seat for a reason, he won F2 and F3 back to back, and has shown in Brazil 22, Vegas 24, that on his day, he can be the best in the world and thats a quailty that only world champion calibre drivers have. Yes, he's annoying two-faced, teachers' pet, but that doesn't make him a bad driver.
George is a great driver, and I actually accept it if a great driver is a bit of dick sometimes. You occasionally need to be to succeed. However, what bothers me is that unlike Max and Fernando for example, George pretends to be the nice guy but actually isn't. It's more likable to just embrace the 'dickness' in you rather than forcefully try to hide it, and ultimately failing at it.
Nowhere near Max' level, Max destroys him.
Best on the day isn't enough, needs to be best on at least 90% of days to be WC - look back on, say, the last ten or fifteen years, the champions have all been consistent.
Crazy that Russell was never the fastest driver on track for any of his race wins
WTF are you talking about. He won brazil and the sprint with the fastest lap in both.
@@superstar_h_gamer5211 If Lewis didnt get verstappened in the race he wouldve likely won without the damage and lost ground from the collision as he was able to keep within 1 second of george, even with damage.
@ he finished less than 2 seconds in front of Hamilton. Verstappen literally tried to crash Hamilton out of the race, so he lost time due to the crash and the damaged car. Use your brain
He literally dominated Vegas
@gabrieljr5410
Lewis spent a large portion of that race trying and failing to get into DRS range of Russell.
TeamLH are truly delusional.
Kimi Antonelli might be in an even more difficult spot. He is on the team as the clear no 2 driver and will have the job of supporting Gearge. At the same time he needs to show that he is capable of bringing in results for himself and that all in a car that we don't know whether or not it will be competetive. On top of that when they are getting Max he will be locked down on no 2 position indefinitly or better said untill either he or Max leaves the team, which again means he needs to have good results to even get a chance as a number 1 driver in a top team in the future.
All merc really needs to do is get George and kimi in one of their older cars which where more dominant and tell em get the best lap time possible. Georgie should have an advantage as he likely drove in the era that car existed just he wasn’t driving it and he drove in f1 for years. Doing this will be able to give Mercedes clues on how much further ahead is George, I really doubt kimi will be faster than George right away but in the future possibly
I felt awful for george that he worked so hard in the williams cars then whilt the car was an improvement was far from the championship contender that he hoped it would be
I see him having a very similar career to Ricciardo
I agree with almost all of your analysis except for the idea that Kimi will automatically be at Merc long term as long as he doesn’t pull a Logan. IMO, if he’s mediocre for more than one season, he’s gone.
They invested alot in him they would probably give him 3 years
@ Indeed. Toto has particularly staked a lot of his reputation on Kimi (he’s desperate for his own Max), but if he ends up slow and crash happy, that won’t save him. However, even if he shows merely flashes of brilliance, they’ll give him tons of patience.
It is more badly managed career rather than just frustrating career.
I wonder if George was ever advised to study German (quite telling thing on long term team and driver intentions to be honest).
Then 3 long years at the back of the grid (3 valuable years for development in the team that was almost «on the verge of bankruptcy»).
Lack of negotiations for contract renewal from George’s side in 2023, where it was clear that being a free agent before the regulation change was never a good position to be in, and now George is exactly in this position. Where he cannot expect more than 1 year deal as 3rd Merc contract (the best option in his current situation). Certainly it all can be different if any contract announcement is made during this winter, but it is highly unlikely.
I can see that he will be used as litmus test to his new team-mate for a 1/4 of the season and then most probably will be sacrificed to create a new name for the sport, where it will be so convenient to remind to the world that they were closely matched with Lewis.
The mentality angle feels a bit disingenuous to me. It's easy to stand up and not be mentally fatigued by verstappen when he's never really fighting him. Lando is fighting wheel to wheel with the man most of the season for what is ultimately podium places while Russell is realistically fighting for 5th at best.
Its a realm shame as I think if cars were same similar he would be the closest to Max out of the entire grid
I do think Russell is a great driver maybe not the best right now Hamilton and max are probably the best right now but I do think in time Russell will be w.c around 2029 with more experience under his belt...
He already has six years experience?
Hamilton really? did we watch the same season
By 2029 F1s fickle fans will be saying he is past his prime and should retire.
Russel career has been settling him up to be the most hungry driver in the top teams.
If he gets even half a sniff at a championship, he will grab it decisively.
I don't think he has the mental toughness.
idk if George can win a wdc for merc but GEORGE BEAT LEWIS CONVINCINGLY in 2024, and its kind of hilarious watching the brits and the teamLT refusing to rate Russell. 2024 was an awakening for George...re-watch the final laps in Montreal, in the wet, george overtook sir lewis himself on the last chicane to steal a podium finish. It was an aggressive, assertive overtake on a 7x wdc team mate. It's a sign of maturity, where George is done asking for permission, and instead is taking what he deserves. George deserves to lead a top team in F1 and yes he should easily beat Kimi in 2025.
He beats a dejected overly decorated senior citizen looking to go on a scenic stroll in Italy. Alright! When are you lot going to realize that no large cap usage online is gonna remove what Lewis has achieved. This younger class needs to dig deep and topple their current Alpha, Max. Yes the best teams wants the best drivers in their cars and the best driver do not wish to struggle in a shit box.
In my eyes I wouldn’t mind if Mercedes did swap George for Max. They would definitely have 2 drivers capable of winning championships. As for Red Bull, if Max were to leave, promote Isack Hadjar to Red Bulland bring Arvid Lindblad into Racing Bulls, that way they can still focus on developing their own young drivers
Let's see how Hadjar (and Liam) gets on first.
He’s full of excuses and random wins !
Hey Aldas could you please tell me what’s the song you use in your videos ? Like this one ?
Please remember he was never a world champion, only a 4 time race winner
I don't believe Toto is looking for Max anymore
He will spend his energy into Antonelli
Personally I think George is a much more capable driver than Norris. When he gets a consistently competitive car, he will do well!
Princess george did not stand any ground against Max. The whiny little dramaqueen spread BS and lies and stole Max' pole. If the whiner so much as tries anything like that again, Max will utterly destroy georgieboy in the blink of an eye.
Max spent just as many years in a non title winning car as George. Red Bull were obviously better than Williams, but not better than Merc in recent years.
‘Toto would definitely drop George for Max’ lmao no he wouldn’t. Reminds me of when everyone said Ferrari would drop Sainz for Mick Schumacher 😂
So Max and Mick are compareable? Ok 😂
Yes he would, not that Max is interested in a team that has no clue how aero works and can only win when they get to cheat with the engine regs.
tru tru, Max folded Norris into his pocket, atleast mentally
Ironically, he got the first win compared to Albon & Norris... If the car is good enough, he'll be good enough. He's had to overdrive the various cars he's had because they've not been good consistently. I hope he gets the chance to show how good he really is.
Overdrive = crash?
The best cars, teams, drivers, managers and engineers magnetically attract each other. I don't see GR joining one of those circles... He thought he had but it didn't work out and Merc are at a low point in their cycle now.
It feels like Russell is the “middle child” of Mercedes in the sense that he’s always overlooked no matter the issues he faces. Because the attention goes towards the proven talent(Hamilton, Verstappen) or the potential (Kimi) while his career is derailed by the future potential of the team.
2024 Australian GP, Singapore 2023, Imola 2021,.
These races show Russell's real potential and his driving culture.
In the British bubble, driving a car into a wall was not a driver error but a coup carried out by Allonso, crashing behind Noris was because Russell is so "incredibly fast and the best".
And the imola in which he crashed his Botas, called him names on the radio, jumped out of the car and tried to fight him. - never happened ands It's not worth mentioning that we have such a madman in F1. But when another driver says "fuck" on the team radio... the media (British) and rusell gives him hell.
Is there any other driver in the field who jumped out of the car during the race and attacked his rival with his fists after the accident? Is such a show good for children? He uses the "children's welfare" card in every media war.
And he himself is the worst example of sportsmanship, much worse than Stroll harassing employees or Max harassing people in the paddock.
singapore 2023 describes him as a driver.
Or 2024 Australian GP.
@@jakubjurkiewicz9945 Can't believe Alonso got a penalty even when Russell admitted he lost concentration.
I wouldn’t say frustrating. For the level of driver he is he has had a good career so far. He isn’t on the level of a max or a prime Lewis, or a leclerc, alonso, and so on. Maybe one year he will get a wdc if a good opportunity arises, like when rosberg or button won it
Rosberg nearly destroyed himself to win that one championship. While I like JB a lot he struck very lucky with a technical innovation to win his championship despite very difficult circumstances. It was the quality of Ross Brawn's management that facilitated it.
George has shown what he can do tome after time after time, and nobody seems to even care. All those heroic drives to Q3 and scoring points for Williams, all the times where George has squeezed his Mercedes into places it didnt belong, the fantastic pole positions and wins, and not an ounce of recognition. Belgium 2020, Sakhir 2020, Austria 2021, Silverstone 2021, Belgium 2021, Hungary 22, Brazil 22, Bahrain 24, Austria 24, Vegas 24, and more, all outstanding performances. He has been voted Driver of the Day ONCE in his entire career.
5:53 when were they EVER the best 2 drivers on the same team? Charles and sainz. Next.
U are comparing lewis stats with russel , seriously Lewis is 7 time WC , still u are saying that margin are slim have u lost your mind
I don’t know why they don’t let the old man rest. He proven himself against the best of his peers, these lot should do the same. Max is who stands their path to glory.
I think Russell's personality is his downfall and will ultimately cost him. He's just too two faced and obnoxious at times. Consistency is the key and he has none of it. He's a blame shirker, pure and simple. Sure he can hustle a reasonable car pretty well but then again they all can, that's why they're all there.
Mercedes not knowing why their car is fast sometimes is regarded to me a way to blind the competition. Mercedes wasn't able to correct the flaws witch are by logic are situated in the chassis and suspension layout. Let's see what they come-up with in '25.
George is likely to have a career like Carlos Sainz. He is regarded to be the top nr. two driver. I don't know why due to George beating Lewis twice in their three seasons together.
Antonelli being hyped up as the new Verstappen but binning the car in his first Mercedes FP1 in the second flying lap is not promising. Verstappen made his FP1 debut in Japan 2014, in the same weekend Jules Bianchi crashed with lethal consequences. Verstappen was quicker than the sitting drivers and kept the car on track.
Judging a driver by an FP1 session isn't an accurate benchmark. Yes, he crashed, mostly because he was pushing too hard in a fresh, low grip asphalt. In the few laps he did, he was incredibly fast.
@AgainstWokeness
To crash not even your own car in the second run in a non-competitive session isn't promising. Especially if the team asked you to build the session.
if George quickly recall what Lewis taught him what it takes to be number 1 at mercedes, George at least okay otherwise he screwed
If Verstappen goes to Mercedes in the next couple years, I can see Red Bull giving his seat to Russell.
That seems logical but Helmet Marco would stop it for whatever his own reasons may be. Why is he so influential?
I think he was at the perfect place at the perfect time. He's a second rate A tier driver who's just had a boost against a past-his-peak Hamilton. Given his objective level of driving in races after six seasons, nothing else could have raised his level of reputation more.
Came here to leave a very similar comment, George isn't that good, his mental is atrocious, his racecraft is straight up bad, he's an incessant whiner etc etc.
He doesn't even belong in the Merc seat.
George is definetly a WC material driver In my eyes. A "past-his-peak" Hamilton is kinda an exaggeration, His experience and 7WC s is actually giving him a boost, so this coin kinda has two sides. I admit that sometimes George has a fierce attitude towards Max and the other top team drivers, but as a package, George Is Top 4 On the grid right now
@@kristoffer3000 Ridiculous statement this.
@@kristoffer3000defo a salty max or Lewis fan here
Guys done pretty much everything right in his career and still getting told he doesn’t deserve his seat… 😂
@@ikedi6005 Not really?
There is no was George will ever be WDC unlese Mercedes puts am absolutely unbeatable rocketship under his arse
Toto the boy who cried wolf
Everyone knows that Russell was plain ass obliterated by the almighty One-Hand-Hero Bobby K. at Williams.
Carlos Sainz might just have a better chance at the title
I'm looking forward to seeing George finish the championship above Lewis.
That ship has already sailed, unless George is going to somehow win eight championships against the current talent plus the ones in que.
In the eight time George has the capability of becoming wc. When Mercedes get it right oh boy they get it right
George is the annoying teacher’s pet that won’t shutup and thinks he’s better than everyone else. No one cares about him (including Toto).
I smell a de ja vu with vettel and russel
Russell is anything but humble so I really dislike him. Seeing him at the wrong places all the time is pretty funny to watch tbh.