George Russell Cites Michael Schumacher Example over F1 Title Ambitions Amid Mercedes Struggles

George Russell has emerged as one of the more consistent drivers on the F1 grid this year. The Briton has kept up with performances despite the mediocre pace from Mercedes on multiple race weekends. But, despite racing in Formula 1 for the past seven years, Russell has yet to even contend for a driver’s title. However, the 27-year-old isn’t too concerned with this fact, as he recalled that even Michael Schumacher wasn’t successful so early in his career.

Mercedes’ pace and performance this year have seemed insignificant compared to McLaren or Ferrari. George Russell has still won one race after clinching the pole position in the first 14 outings, the Canadian GP. The Briton has achieved six podium finishes and is just 15 points adrift of Max Verstappen, who is P3 in the drivers’ standings. However, Russell is still far off from the championship contention this year.

After enduring a rather complicated season in 2025, George Russell revealed that he was now hungrier than ever to perform well and win a championship. Russell noted that he was in his seventh year in Formula 1, but did not contend for the title even once. The Briton emphasized that while joining Mercedes, he believed that every year would be a title contention for him, as even Toto Wolff believed the former to be ready for a championship win.

Yeah, for sure. 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.

George Russell told Motorsport.com

George Russell recalled that even the seven-time champion Michael Schumacher did not achieve success until his fifth year at Ferrari. Moreover, Schumacher was well into his 30s when he won a title with the Italian constructor before going on to break the world record for most championship wins. As such, Russell, being just 27 years old, believed that he still had a few years ahead of him before he could think of giving up on his hopes.

And you look at Michael Schumacher, he was in his fifth year with Ferrari, in his 30s, before he won a championship with them. I’m 27, so I’ve still got a bit of time on my side.

George Russell added

George Russell admits ‘no one expected’ McLaren’s dominance in 2025

At the beginning of the ground-effect era, McLaren seemed nowhere near the top of the table as their performance remained mediocre. However, since the mid-2024 season, Woking has achieved a substantial turnaround in performance and has propelled to the top of the leaderboards. As such, George Russell reckoned that no one could predict the team that would dominate at any given time in the pinnacle of motorsport.