Mercedes Therapy Session: Russell Pays a Shrink – Formula One driver George Russell has offered a rare look behind the curtain of his time as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, explaining how a carefully cultivated psychological approach helped him remain unfazed by the task of sharing a garage with Formula 1’s most successful driver.

The 27-year-old partnered Hamilton from 2022 through 2024, a turbulent era in which Mercedes struggled with the ground-effect regulations. Yet within that turbulence, Russell quietly built his own reputation. He finished ahead of Hamilton in the Drivers’ standings in two of their three years together, cementing himself as more than just an understudy.

Speaking on the *UnTapped* podcast, Russell revealed that he worked closely with his psychologist to keep Hamilton’s achievements from weighing on him. “I had a really good conversation with my psychologist about how I should deal with the pressure of being his teammate,” he explained. “The conclusion was simple: once I walk into the garage, put my helmet on and visor down, it shouldn’t matter if my teammate is a seven-time World Champion, a rookie, or no one at all. I’m in control of my own destiny. It’s on me to perform.”

 

 

 

Russell will get a new Mercedes contract

This mindset, Russell argues, allowed him to stay focused on his own race craft rather than being consumed by Hamilton’s status. And in the end, it worked. He not only scored Mercedes’ sole win of the 2022 season in Brazil, but proved capable of outscoring Hamilton across multiple campaigns.

Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari in 2025 left Russell as Mercedes’ de facto team leader, partnered with Italian rookie prodigy, Kimi Antonelli. While Antonelli is being carefully eased into Formula 1, Russell has become the benchmark, carrying the responsibility once shouldered by Hamilton.

Team boss Toto Wolff has been clear that Russell remains central to Mercedes’ plans. He all but confirmed before the summer break that Russell and Antonelli would continue as the team’s drivers in 2026. With Verstappen now confirming he will remain at Red Bull racing next year, the tough negotiation for Russell ahead will surround the term Wolff is prepared to offer his as an extension to his current deal.

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Montoya tells George to “consider other options”

Russell’s contract situation remains a subject of intrigue. The British driver is expected to sign an extension, but the length of that deal may prove crucial. With Max Verstappen potentially available at the end of 2026, Mercedes is one of several teams that could be tempted to reshuffle its lineup to secure the Dutchman’s services.

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has suggested that Russell must remain pragmatic. “George should always be looking at the bigger picture,” Montoya told media earlier this year. “If Mercedes can’t give him what he needs, he has to consider other options. That’s the reality of this sport.”

For now, Russell has expressed confidence in Mercedes’ direction. He sees himself as the cornerstone of a rebuilding project aimed at returning the Brackley team to championship contention in the new regulatory era. But the looming presence of Verstappen on the driver market adds a layer of uncertainty for the British driver.

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F1 is no meritocracy

Russell’s success against Hamilton remains a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it enhanced his reputation, showing he could compete with the most decorated driver in the sport’s history. On the other, it came during Mercedes’ weakest spell of the past decade, when Hamilton was visibly frustrated with the team’s inability to produce a winning car. Critics could argue that Russell’s advantage may have been as much circumstantial as it was psychological.

Hamilton himself rarely indulged in comparisons. His focus remained on chasing an elusive eighth World Championship, something that never materialised at Mercedes and now he continues pursing that dream with Ferrari. Yet the tension between the pair was apparent at times, particularly in 2022, when Hamilton was given the lion’s share of experimental setups while Russell quietly banked points.

And so we have the curious case of George Russell: the man who outscored Hamilton, yet remains overshadowed by him. He has built a career on resilience, psychology, and clever positioning. But Formula 1 is not a meritocracy in the purest sense—it is a game of timing, contracts, and politics.

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Russell will get Wolff’s infamous “multi-year deal”

Russell’s mantra of visor down, block out the noise, may have carried him through the Hamilton team mate era, but Verstappen is a different beast altogether. Toto Wolff, ever the strategist, insists Russell is Mercedes’ present and future. But the Judge suspects Wolff’s true calculation is simpler: keep Russell secure enough to lead the team, but flexible enough to make room if Verstappen knocks on the door. In that sense, Russell’s fate may rest less on psychology and more on the timing of Max’s decisions.

At McLaren in 2007, a young Lewis Hamilton made his debut in F1 alongside established champion Fernando Alosno. The result was the team almost internally combusted, at least Russell facing Mercedes next highly prized junior is not under such pressure. The wunderkind promised in Antonelli, has yet to materialise, but the threat of being ousted by Verstappen is merely on hold for George.

Russell, like Hamilton before him will emerge with what Mercedes describe as a “multi-year” deal sometime in the Autumn. Yet as Lewis went on to prove these Wolff-esque style driver arrangements are less secure than as they are presented. Deciding a “one” year guaranteed style deal with an option for the team to elect to extend, was hardly worthy of his history with the team, as the ink was drying on the paper, Hamilton was calling his good friend John Elkann who is the biggest of all bosses at the Ferrari F1 team.

 

 

 

Sepang begs for mercy. But F1’s price has rocketed

Formula 1 has undergone a seismic shift under Liberty Media. Once the playground of traditional European venues, the calendar is now a patchwork of heritage tracks clinging on and new glitzy arrivals making their debut. Las Vegas, Miami and soon Madrid have muscled in, while Spa, once unthinkable to drop, has been forced onto a rotational basis under its new contract.

The message from F1’s CEO Stefano Domenicali is unambiguous: history and passion alone do not buy you a slot on theF1 calendar. A Grand Prix must be commercially viable, politically supported, and ideally backed by a city prepared to turn itself into a festival ground.

Yet the door is not completely closed for former hosts. Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit, which staged Grands Prix from 1999 to 2017, has emerged as a candidate for a comeback. And unlike some of the heritage venues fighting for survival, Sepang boasts two critical advantages—it has a track layout loved by drivers and fans alike, and a history of producing some of the most dramatic races of the modern era…. READ MORE