George Russell warned he is “absolutely” ready to become World Champion in F1 2025 should Mercedes provide the car.

It is a new era for Mercedes, with Russell stepping up as the experienced head after seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton departed for Ferrari, bringing to a close his record-breaking 12-season stint with the Silver Arrows.

George Russell ‘ready’ to become World Champion

Having raced alongside one of the most experienced F1 stars over the past three seasons, Russell now finds himself at the opposite end of the scale with 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli his new team-mate, as the Mercedes Junior Team graduate makes the step up after an F2 campaign which produced two race wins.

Not since 2021 has Mercedes found itself in a position to fight for title glory, but 2024 proved a huge boost in the recovery mission with four grand prix wins claimed.

And F1 2025 holds the potential to be an all-time classic season, as McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes all approach the new campaign harbouring title ambitions. So, if the Mercedes W16 is a challenger which can rise to such a challenge, can Russell do the same?

“Yeah, absolutely,” he confidently declared to Sky F1.

“I feel ready, everybody in the team is so motivated, and I feel that these years, sort of in trial and error, that every time we’ve had a chance to win, we’ve won.

“And that’s what gives me the optimism that if we do have the car, we can achieve it.

“So, we’re working as hard as we can for it to be this year. But everybody is fully on board and it’s going to be an exciting season.”

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However, while F1 2025 success is something certainly not to be sniffed at, every team needs to keep a close eye on the future, as overhauled chassis and engine regulations are on the way for F1 2026.

And so, Russell sees F1 2025 as a “huge season” for the trajectory of all 10 teams.

“It’s been a tough couple of years,” he continued. “Of course, we haven’t had anywhere close to the success that we hoped for and what we’ve worked towards.

“But, I feel that we potentially almost needed those years to reset, to change the mould, to start us on a fresh start.

“And of course into this year, but also next year. It’s going to be a huge season for every team and so much focus into getting that right, because we know that if we start on the right tracks, it can set you up for years to come.

“So, I’m just really pumped, I’m really excited. The break was nice, but I want to go racing now.”

And Russell does not have too much longer to wait, as Albert Park will host the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 16 March.

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