George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at the 2024 British Grand Prix

George Russell’s 2024 season: The emergence of a new team leader at Mercedes

Drivers’ standings: 6th

Points: 245

Best finish: 1st X2

Best qualifying: 1st 

Podiums: 4 (+ 1 Sprint podium)

 

The 2024 Formula 1 season marked another chapter in George Russell’s career with the Mercedes Formula 1 Team, one filled with moments that tested his character as well as some highlights, showing he is primed to lead Mercedes into a new era next season.

 

Challenging beginnings 

George showed fighting performance at the season opener in Bahrain; he began the weekend with solid results in Free Practice, and qualified third in a promising start to the season. However, both W15s faced issues with the power unit overheating during the Grand Prix. In order to manage the problem, George reduced his pace losing tenths-of-a-second per lap, making it difficult to hold off his competitors. He finished the race in fifth, opening his account with 10 points.

 

George Russell at the Bahrain Grand Prix

 

When the team arrived in Saudi Arabia, it became clear that while the W15 showed potential, ironing out inconsistencies within the package would be pivotal to success in the coming races. After a tough Grand Prix where George struggled to get close to those ahead, he hustled the car to a sixth-place finish.

In Australia, the pace still wasn’t where George and Mercedes wanted it to be. Despite the difficult weekend, he had been on course to score points before crashing out while closely following Fernando Alonso in the closing stages.  

The team’s challenges continued in Japan. After starting ninth in the Grand Prix, George endured a difficult opening stint. His pace improved towards the end of the race, however, and he was able to climb to seventh at the flag.

It was a similar story in China, with George climbing two places to finish sixth, but improvements were still needed to keep pace with the other teams.

George’s resilience and work ethic were evident in the season’s early stages. Working closely with the team to identify the W15’s weaknesses, he was able to adapt to the challenges and evolutions of the car as the season continued.

The team brought a new floor and edge wing arrangement to the Miami Grand Prix with hopes of unlocking some lap time. Despite the upgrade package, it was another difficult race for George. Having qualified in seventh, he lost a few places at the start and struggled on the Hard tyres in the closing stages, coming across the line in eighth.

Despite the challenges in the early races of the season, George was able to adapt and push the car to secure good points for the team. From the first six events, George had out qualified team-mate Lewis Hamilton at every Grand Prix besides Japan.

 

On the up: Imola, Monaco, Canada and Barcelona 

As the European leg got underway, there were signs of potential for Mercedes. The team brought another upgrade kit to Imola, featuring revised floor and brake ducts, as well as new rear and beam wings. While that helped to extend the advantage over the midfield and chip away at the gap to the front, McLaren and Ferrari had found gains of their own. George was able to maximise the package to finish seventh in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

With yet more upgrades brought to the streets of Monaco, George qualified fifth and was able to hold onto the position in the best race of his season so far. Strong pace, despite being on 70-lap old Medium tyres, was a promising sign for the team and meant George could take positives away from the principality.

The culmination of recent car developments became fully apparent in Montreal, when George put his revised W15 on pole for the Canadian Grand Prix. In changeable conditions, the Brit pushed to, and over the limit resulting in “too many mistakes” by his own admission. Still, he managed to bring home third and the team’s first podium of 2024.

 

Russell celebrates his first pole of 2024

 

The first race of the European triple-header was held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and it was another positive showing for Mercedes. After qualifying fourth, George stormed around the outside of title rivals Lando Norris and Max Verstappen to take the lead into Turn 1. He dropped back during the first stint, and a slow pitstop compounded his woes. Despite poor pace on the Hard tyre in the final stint, George held onto fourth and secured 12 points.

 

Delight and dismay 

A surprise victory opportunity presented itself to George in Austria. He began the weekend with a solid fourth in Sprint Qualifying. Picking up five points in the Sprint, George finished fourth. Later in the day, during Qualifying, he secured third for the Grand Prix grid.

George’s Grand Prix began with a tough fight to hang on to third in the early stages, with Verstappen and Norris ahead. When the McLaren and Red Bull came together, George was able to capitalise and took the lead. After a challenging start to the season, the Brit took his first win since the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, proving that Mercedes had joined the fight at the front.

 

George Russell and the Mercedes F1 team win the Austrian Grand Prix

 

The success continued in qualifying for George’s home race at Silverstone. The British Grand Prix weekend marked a significant step-up for the team, with George leading an all-Mecedes front row in qualifying. However, a water system issue denied him the opportunity to fight for victory in the race itself. Team-mate Hamilton took a second victory in succession for Mercedes.

George’s misfortune continued in Hungary, with rain and red flags affecting his Qualifying. Starting from 17th, he put in a strong recovery drive to secure eighth and an additional point for the fastest lap.

Further heartbreak followed in Belgium; despite resisting late pressure from Hamilton and crossing the line first, George was disqualified after the race because of an underweight car.

 

A mixed bag after the summer break 

George resumed his season lining up fourth at Zandvoort, but the temperamental pace of the W15 would rear its unwelcome head once again. He struggled with pace on all three tyre compounds, and high degradation meant made for a tough Grand Prix and seventh-place finish.

Another strong qualifying in Monza meant George started the Grand Prix from third. Ultimately, the car lacked the pace to be in podium contention, and lost time – owing to a wing change – meant George finished the race in seventh.

George made his return to the podium on the streets of Baku. After a difficult opening stint on the Mediums, he switched to Hards and found the car responded well to the more resilient compound. Setting lap times one second quicker than the leaders, George made progress and when Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez came together, he was elevated to third.

 

George Russell on the podium of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

 

Further W15 improvements came in Singapore. Though it was a difficult start to the weekend on Friday, Saturday’s Qualifying resulted in a second-row lockout for the team. Singapore is always a physically demanding race for the drivers, and the 2024 Grand Prix was no exception, but George was able to hold onto fourth. Later, he described it as an “evening of damage limitation”.

 

More success in the Americas 

Another substantial upgrade was brought to Austin, featuring a revised front wing flap, upper wishbones, sidepod inlet, rear cooling exits, and a new floor geometry. George used the upgrades well to qualify second for the Sprint and finished fifth in that race.

Qualifying for the United States Grand Prix would yield sixth, but he ended up starting from the pitlane following damage to the car. In a strong recovery drive, George went from the pit lane to sixth in Austin, finishing ahead of Red Bull.

A week later, George secured fifth in the Mexican Grand Prix, then concluded the season’s second triple-header with a strong show at Interlagos. He qualified sixth for the season’s penultimate Sprint and held position in the race.

He then qualified second for the São Paulo Grand Prix, but heavy rain wreaked havoc with the running of the race. George managed to snatch the lead at Turn 1 and held Norris at bay for the opening stint, but not long after the leading pair pitted for new tyres the red flags waved, giving those who hadn’t stopped a free tyre swap. Russell ultimately finished fifth and was left dejected thinking about what might’ve been.

 

One last triple-header

Starting 2024’s final triple-header on a high, George took victory beneath the lights of Las Vegas, securing his second win of the season and the third of his career. Great pace throughout the weekend meant he claimed pole position, as well as heading a 1-2 finish for Mercedes.

 

George Russell after winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix

 

While the W15’s pace was strong throughout the Qatar weekend, allowing George to pick up second in Sprint Qualifying, third in the Sprint and second in Qualifying, his pace suffered in the Grand Prix. Adding to the disappointment, a penalty at the end of the race meant he finished fourth.

Russell capped off his season with a consistent, if uneventful weekend in Abu Dhabi. Having qualified fourth, he looked set to hold his position to the final chequered flag of 2024, but Hamilton relegated him to fifth on the final tour.

 

A statement season

George’s consistency and ability to extract potential from the car, even during the season’s more challenging moments, allowed him to finish the Drivers’ Championship standings in sixth. His four podiums, memorable wins in Austria and Las Vegas and of course his pole at Silverstone are all testaments to his ability.  

In comparison to previous seasons, 2024 was a significant step forward for George; he had one previous win before 2024, and his podium finishes were fewer in 2023. This season, he showed he was capable of holding his own against his legendary seven-time champion team-mate Hamilton. Rather remarkably, he outqualified Hamilton in 19 of the season’s 24 races, crossed the line ahead in 15 Grand Prix and finished above Hamilton in the Drivers’ Standings.

Lewis Hamilton congratulates Georg Russell on the Las Vegas podium

 

What does 2025 have in store for George Russell? 

As the sun sets on 2024, it’s clear that George is on the cusp of something special. His performances and ability to extract the best from the car, alongside his competitive mindset could make him a bona fide title contender in the coming seasons.

With Hamilton departing for Ferrari, George will likely assume the role of team leader in 2025, and will be partnered alongside 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli in one of the grid’s most exciting line-ups.