Mercedes director delivers verdict on George Russell becoming lead driver

George Russell assumed the lead driver role at Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari.

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has revealed how George Russell is performing in his new role of lead driver in the team.

Russell joined the Brackley outfit in 2022 to drive alongside seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton after a three-year stint in the Williams Formula 1 team. However, as Hamilton announced that he had signed with Ferrari for 2025 onwards, the 27-year-old convinced Mercedes that he was ready to step up into the lead driver role.

While speaking to the media during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Shovlin showered the British driver with praise for doing "a great job" in the new role.

“Certainly within the team, he's very calm. He seems very confident. He's done a great job in the first [few] races, so that's been really encouraging.

“He just seems to be very relaxed in his position in the team now and he's just going about getting the points, trying to qualify as well as he can. [A] front row in China was very encouraging. He's pushing us hard to improve and he's doing a lot of work himself.”

Shovlin also commented on the new driver pairing as Italian rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli joined Russell in 2025 as Hamilton took his new seat in the Maranello outfit.

“Those two are working together, and George is trying to give him the benefit of his experience,” Shovlin added. "I would say that George has stepped up into that role — being the team's most experienced driver now.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“We always knew he was quick but, in his own approach, he has brought a confidence and a calmness this year that's working very well for us. You look at that race in Melbourne — George was communicating really well with us as to what the weather was doing and what he was feeling in the car.

“We were using a lot of that information to copy the strategy onto Kimi’s side because, for Kimi, a lot of it was new. But it’s really pleasing to see how the two of them are working together, and how George has stepped up into that role.”

After the first three Grands Prix of the 2025 season, Mercedes is second in the constructors' standings with 75 points, behind McLaren which leads with 111 points.