F1’s most confident driver says it’s only a matter of time before he wins a world championship

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One F1 driver believes it’s just a matter of ‘when’, and not if, they win their maiden championship in the sport.

There are a number of worthy candidates on the grid that could be F1 world champions if given the machinery to complete the job, but given the nature of how you achieve success in the sport, it’s quite the tough ask.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have dominated F1 in recent years, with both drivers accounting for 10 of the last 11 world championships. This year’s title looks to be heading in the direction of either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, but Verstappen could pounce again if either of the McLaren drivers slip up.

However, the man who thinks it’s only a matter of time before they win their first title in the pinnacle of single-seater motorsport is George Russell, as detailed in a recent interview with The Players Tribune.

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George Russell knows it’s a matter of ‘when’ he will win his first F1 title, not if

Russell has been hailed as the most underrated driver on the F1 grid by the iconic voice of Martin Brundle, but the British driver rates himself very highly in comparison to his rivals on-track.

The Mercedes driver is currently fourth in the F1 standings, 36 points off his nemesis Max Verstappen in third and 99 points shy of championship leader Piastri in first. Whilst it’s extremely unlikely that he will taste ultimate glory this year, he knows it’s within reach in the coming years.

“Listen, we can talk all we want about how close everybody is on teams. At the end of the day, this is transactional. This is a business. I know why I’m here,” Russell told The Players Tribune.

“A team hires a driver to be fast. I think that’s why sometimes I feel like my personality is a little misunderstood. Because I’m so focused on that part of it. Being fast. Everything else is just noise to me.

“I just want to perform. That’s my mindset: I want to win a F1 world championship. And when I do, I know I’ll want to win another and another. I learned that from being around Lewis and Toto.”

Given his mightily impressive performances this season, in which he is still the only driver other than the front three to have won a race in 2025, it’s fairly clear that Russell is the best driver on the grid without a title to his name.

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George Russell’s lack of a championship could change with F1’s new regulations in 2026

That could all change in the upcoming season, thanks to F1’s new era of regulations set to take effect in 2026.

Engine rules are being overhauled, and the sentiment in the paddock is that Mercedes will reign supreme as they did at the beginning of the previous ruleset in 2014.

If the Silver Arrows are able to build a car good enough to challenge for the title, Russell will finally be able to flex his skillset and put up a fight against whoever else has been able to hit the new regulations on the head.

The British driver is heading into his fifth season at the Brackley-based outfit next season, and Russell has already drawn a comparison to himself and Michael Schumacher winning the first of his five titles at Ferrari during his fifth season.

It should be very interesting to see how the 27-year-old will fare during a proper push for the title.