'I know my time will come' - Russell exclusive

George Russell looks you successful the oculus and oozes self-belief arsenic helium describes however helium feels arsenic heads into his seventh play successful Formula 1, his archetypal arsenic effectual person of the Mercedes team.

"I cognize my clip volition come," the 27-year-old Briton says. "And I've conscionable got to guarantee that I support connected performing. And whether it's this twelvemonth oregon adjacent year, it'll come.

"And if I support delivering those results, arsenic I did implicit these past 3 years against the champion operator of each time, I judge I volition get myself successful the combat and hopefully a satellite title to my name."

Russell's self-confidence is profoundly held, and has been determination for arsenic agelong arsenic helium has been racing. But it has been nurtured by the clip helium spent astatine Mercedes arsenic team-mate to Lewis Hamilton.

Last year, Russell became the archetypal operator successful Hamilton's 18-year vocation to comprehensively bushed the seven-time champion successful qualifying implicit a afloat season. The head-to-head people was 19-five to Russell, astatine an mean vantage of 0.171 seconds a lap.

And implicit their 3 years unneurotic since 2022, Russell finished up successful the title successful 2 of them.

There are caveats - not slightest that Hamilton's last twelvemonth astatine Mercedes came aft helium had told the squad helium was leaving them for Ferrari astatine the extremity of it.

But, arsenic Russell puts it successful an exclusive interrogation with BBC Sport: "The results talk for themselves. And I don't person thing I request to beryllium oregon show.

"I americium arrogant of the results I've achieved going up against idiosyncratic similar Lewis.

"At the extremity of 2021, statistically and successful presumption of perception, Lewis was the top of each time. And I've had 3 years against the top of each time, and I finished up of him 2 retired of the 3 years I had arsenic team-mates. And finished up much times successful 'quali' and much times successful the race.

"If this was a antithetic clip oregon a antithetic era, if you decorativeness up of Lewis Hamilton, you're a satellite champion."

With Hamilton's departure, Russell, becomes the elder operator astatine Mercedes. His caller team-mate is Andrea Kimi Antonelli, an 18-year-old Italian prodigy who has been connected Mercedes' books for respective years.

"He's a large kid," Russell says. "He's precise young, but he's a truly bully guy. Super-fast, of course.

"Being thrown successful astatine the heavy end, which is going to beryllium a large challenge. But successful presumption of earthy speed, I don't deliberation you tin question it. And there's going to beryllium an absorbing caller dynamic."

Hamilton's departure, Russell says, referencing the detonation of involvement the determination to Ferrari has created, "has been bully for everyone".

"This is turning a page," Russell says astir a squad that had employed Hamilton for 12 years. "It's a caller chapter. And I don't abruptly consciousness immoderate further responsibility."

And what does helium deliberation Hamilton faces astatine Ferrari, alongside caller team-mate Charles Leclerc, against whom Russell has raced since they were boys successful karting?

"Charles is simply a fantastic driver," Russell says. "No uncertainty astir that. So I'm going to beryllium truly intrigued to spot however that pans retired due to the fact that they're 2 astonishing drivers.

"He's evidently entering an Italian squad wherever Charles has been precise overmuch the fig 1 for the past six years. It's rather an absorbing dynamic, but I deliberation it'll beryllium adjacent betwixt the 2 of them."

There is 1 large elephant successful the country arsenic Mercedes caput into 2025 - and its sanction is Max Verstappen.

Team brag Toto Wolff has said the squad "very overmuch anticipation that the 2025 line-up volition beryllium the line-up going forward". But it is nary concealed that that Wolff courted Verstappen past year, and inactive has hopes of attracting him to the squad - possibly arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2026.

If helium succeeds, 1 of the existent drivers - some of whom person been nurtured by the squad for years - would person to find a spot elsewhere.

Russell is alert of this arsenic a imaginable scenario, but professes not to beryllium remotely acrophobic astir it.

"I don't deliberation there's immoderate unit whatsoever," helium says "All I request to bash is proceed doing what I'm doing, proceed doing what I've done my full career.

"So that changes nothing. And it's not adjacent thing I'm reasoning about. Because I 100% backmost myself. It's arsenic elemental arsenic that. You execute and everything volition beryllium determination for you.

"I privation to spell up against the best. I don't consciousness that my quality is successful question."

The Verstappen question is fixed added borderline erstwhile it comes to Russell due to the fact that of their idiosyncratic history. The brace had a large falling out astatine the extremity of past play and determination is no motion of relations thawing this.

Russell says: "I wasn't going to conscionable basal and beryllium bullied around. People look to ever backmost down to him. And that's conscionable not however I spell astir my business.

"I'm not determination to beryllium champion mates with a satellite champion. I'm present to win. And that's his mentality arsenic well. There's nary emotion lost.

"I've ne'er been frightened to contention against Max. I've ever enactment up a fight."

Tense arsenic the concern whitethorn beryllium betwixt Russell and Verstappen, immoderate battles betwixt them whitethorn not beryllium for a contention triumph astatine the commencement of the season, Russell believes.

"I don't deliberation either of america close present person a car that perchance is susceptible of beating the McLaren," helium says.

"McLaren, without doubt, look by acold the strongest. Especially their contention gait looks beauteous impressive."

Mercedes won 4 races past twelvemonth - 2 each for Russell and Hamilton - and person travel into 2025 hoping for a car with much rounded abilities that tin beryllium competitory everywhere, alternatively than lone connected definite tracks and successful definite conditions, arsenic past year.

"There's decidedly improvements passim the car, nary uncertainty astir it," Russell says. "Naturally, there's ever thing you request to enactment on.

"So, you know, we struggled a spot with low-speed understeer past year. There's inactive signs of that that we're inactive trying to get connected apical of, and we deliberation we've got immoderate things successful the locker to effort and cure those issues. But decidedly the car's feeling a spot much together."

Russell's absorption this twelvemonth volition not lone beryllium connected the track. As a manager of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, helium volition besides beryllium forced to face the concerns galore successful F1 person astir the behaviour of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of governing assemblage the FIA.

A bid of Ben Sulayem's actions person angered the drivers successful caller years, and implicit the winter, caller rules codifying a process by which drivers tin look contention bans for swearing person accrued concerns.

Russell chooses his words carefully, but is steadfast astir the drivers' convictions.

"Things person gone a small spot retired of manus successful the caller months with immoderate of the things that person been going on," helium says, adding that helium feels the FIA's stance is "unnecessary".

"Not lone we're racing drivers," helium says, "we're personalities, and if you are the idiosyncratic who wants to curse arsenic overmuch arsenic you like, that has a definite interaction connected your marque and your cognition careless of the FIA getting involved.

"There's times and a place. You person to guarantee that our emotions enactment existent and true, particularly erstwhile it comes to the (in-car) radio, and perchance an interrogation consecutive aft the race. That's what's truthful axenic astir it.

"If you're talking connected a Thursday day successful beforehand of a fig of people, possibly swearing is not truly indispensable oregon required. But erstwhile it comes to that earthy emotion, you request to fto america beryllium arsenic authentic arsenic possible."