How Russell can make history again in F1 2023

George Russell's first season at Mercedes was a resounding success amid the context of the team’s struggles. But things could get spicy against Lewis Hamilton in 2023 if Brackley's latest car is good enough to place either driver on the F1 throne

George Russell joined an exclusive club last year when he became just the 12th driver to start a world championship Formula 1 race for Mercedes. Come the end of the season, he'd collected an even rarer accolade, by becoming only the third man in 16 years to beat Lewis Hamilton over the course of a campaign with the same machinery.

Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg are the other members. Both are world champions, and to emulate them remains Russell's ultimate aim. With his Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory late last year, he's taken a big step towards achieving that ambition. He now knows that he can win at the top level – and under severe pressure, given the late safety car restart that gave Hamilton the chance to mount an attack that never came, because his teammate was in control up front.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.