George Russell believes that F1 2025 was his best season, and suggested that Lewis Hamilton inadvertently played a key role.<\/p>\n
Russell admitted that alongside the seven-time World Champion Hamilton<\/a>, he wanted to really push the envelope that was his own limits, an approach which \u201cbit me in the ass\u201d. With Hamilton moving on to Ferrari, and Russell becoming Mercedes team leader, Russell \u201creined it back in\u201d, and he believes his results benefitted.<\/p>\n George Russell went \u2018beyond the limit\u2019 alongside Lewis Hamilton<\/p>\n After a three-season stint with Williams, Russell received his promotion to Mercedes in time for the 2022 season. Over the following three campaigns, he outscored Hamilton in two of them, 2022 and 2024.<\/p>\n With Hamilton moving on for pastures new at Ferrari, Russell stepped up into the team leader role for F1 2025, partnering teenage rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli.<\/p>\n Russell impressed, delivering Grand Prix wins in Canada and Singapore as part of an overall consistently strong season.<\/p>\n Russell was asked by PlanetF1.com, and a select group of other accredited media, whether he considered 2025 as his best F1 season so far.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I think so,\u201d he confirmed.<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely my most solid in terms of performance, emotional system, least mistakes. So yeah, on the whole, it has been.\u201d<\/p>\n Put to him that he seemed to be the driver with the least major F1 2025 errors to his name, Russell was asked if there is any particular reason for that.<\/p>\n He pointed to how Hamilton\u2019s departure from Mercedes saw him return to type, so to speak, after exploring and pushing his limits up against the seven-time World Champion.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s always been in my nature, pre-F1, and sort of helped me to secure championships,\u201d said Russell of the limited errors.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it was just during my time with Lewis, I just sort of felt that I want to push myself to see if there\u2019s more in the tank, and go beyond the limit and kind of see what happens.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause, in \u201923, I wasn\u2019t satisfied just fighting for podiums. I wanted pushing the boundaries more, to try and get a highlight result, rather than just settling for a podium or a P4.<\/p>\n \u201cThat sort of bit me in the ass a bit. So I just reined it back a little bit this year, and in turn, probably helped me get bigger results.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Lewis Hamilton from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Mercedes figure lifts lid on Lewis Hamilton \u2018support\u2019 over Ferrari struggles<\/a><\/p>\n Did Ferrari make the wrong big-name signing in Hamilton instead of Newey?<\/a><\/p>\n Russell and Antonelli both secured new contracts to keep them at Mercedes for F1 2026, as the new chassis and engine regulations loom.<\/p>\n Antonelli bounced back impressively from an alarming mid-season slump to maintain Mercedes\u2019 faith, and Russell expects to see the Italian take another step next season.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s always interesting having a new teammate, just to see how they approach things within the team,\u201d said Russell.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he\u2019s obviously a young kid with a lot of energy, and that\u2019s super nice to see. And he has a very positive impact on the people in the team, which is great.<\/p>\n \u201cBut obviously in our sport, it always comes down to what you achieve on track.<\/p>\n \u201cBut he\u2019s definitely shown signs of real speed. So I\u2019m sure, going into next year, he\u2019s going to sort of continue progressing, and you\u2019ll probably see those moments more often.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n