Overview

• Speaking on the Untapped podcast, Russell said pre-Mercedes sessions with a psychologist led him to focus solely on his own performance regardless of who was in the other garage.
• He described a mindset shift to target beating Hamilton over a season while accepting there would be races he would be behind, framing a 55–45 split as a realistic goal.
• Russell joined Mercedes in 2022 after three seasons at Williams, stepping into a team he viewed as long structured around Hamilton.
• Across their three years as teammates, Russell out-scored Hamilton in 2022 and 2024, with a 19–5 qualifying edge reported in their final season together.
• Now Mercedes’ team leader after Hamilton’s 2025 exit, Russell has become a multiple Grand Prix winner, including victory at the Canadian Grand Prix in June.