George Russell

In 2026 he sits second in the standings on 236 points with three wins so far, a live factor in a championship still to be decided.

Early rise

Born on 15 February 1998 in King’s Lynn, Russell came through single-seaters quickly and convincingly. He won the GP3 title in 2017 and the Formula 2 championship in 2018, both with ART Grand Prix, marking him out as one of the best-prepared rookies of his generation. Backed by Mercedes from his junior days, he took race number 63 into Formula 1 and never changed it.

Learning at Williams

Williams signed him for 2019 at the start of a lean period for the team, and the record shows how thin the opportunity was: 20th in the standings without a point that year. In 2020, when Lewis Hamilton was sidelined by illness, Russell made a one‑off appearance for Mercedes at Sakhir, led convincingly and still salvaged ninth place and fastest lap after a pit error and a late puncture, banking the three points that left him 18th overall. His first points for Williams came in 2021, a season that also produced a famous podium at a rain‑hit Belgian Grand Prix after a superb qualifying performance the day before; he ended that year 15th with 16 points.

Breakthrough at Mercedes

Mercedes promoted Russell to a full‑time seat in 2022 and he was immediately a consistent finisher at the sharp end, ending the season fourth in the championship on 275 points. He took his maiden Formula 1 victory at the São Paulo Grand Prix and claimed his first pole position earlier in the year in Hungary. The next campaign was tougher on paper: eighth overall in 2023 with 175 points.

From consolidation to contention

In 2024 he stepped back towards the front with sixth place in the final table on 245 points and two Grand Prix wins, then moved up again in 2025 to fourth with 319 points and another two victories. By 2026 he has converted that form into a full title challenge: second in the standings so far with 236 points and three wins.

Racecraft and reputation

Russell built a reputation for qualifying sharpness at Williams, often putting the car places it did not belong on Saturdays; the Spa 2021 front‑row effort is the most cited example.

Place at Mercedes

The 2022 season, where he finished fourth with 275 points and took the team’s only win, established him as a reference for the engineers and a reliable carrier of strategy. The subsequent seasons—eighth in 2023, sixth in 2024 with two wins, fourth in 2025 also with two wins, and now second so far in 2026 with three—show a driver who has learned quickly and kept moving forward.

He races with number 63, the same digits he chose before Formula 1. However 2026 unfolds from here, the supplied standings already confirm his relevance now: second in the championship with three victories in hand, in the thick of a fight he has earned on pace and execution.

George Russell is 28 years old, was born in King's Lynn, United Kingdom and first entered Formula 1 in 2019. The British driver races for Mercedes under number 63.