George Russell reveals the advice from his psychologist that allowed him to beat Lewis Hamilton

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George Russell’s stock continues to grow. By beating Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in two out of three seasons, he marked himself out as one of the F1 elite.

Russell finally got his chance at Mercedes in 2022 after spending three years on loan at Williams. He was immediately on the pace of the seven-time world champion.

Hamilton had been driving for the Silver Arrows since 2013 and made the team his own by winning six world championships in seven years – the greatest run in the sport’s history. Russell faced one of the most daunting tasks imaginable when he made the step up.

But he finished ahead of his veteran teammate in 2022 and, more convincingly, 2024. Now the clear team leader after Hamilton’s exit, he boasts four Grand Prix wins, six poles and, as of last Sunday, 21 podiums.

George Russell realised he was in control of his own ‘destiny’ before facing Lewis Hamilton

Speaking on the Untapped podcast, Russell reflected on securing a Mercedes seat for 2022. He was concerned about how he’d cope against a driver of Hamilton’s stature.

But with the help of his psychologist, he recognised that he was ‘in control of his own destiny’. It didn’t ‘matter’ who was on the other side of the garage.

Russell and Hamilton were almost neck-and-neck over their three years together. But the former is entitled to claim the bragging rights, particularly after he won the head-to-head 32-12 last term (qualifying plus races).

“I was thinking about how I was going to deal with it psychologically, until one day I had a really good conversation with my psychologist about how I should deal with the pressure of being his teammate,” Russell said.

“I concluded that when I walk into the garage, I’m jumping into my racecar, I’m putting my helmet on, I’m putting my visor down. It should not matter if my teammate in the garage next door is a seven-time world champion, is a rookie, or if there’s nobody there, because I’m in control of my own destiny.

“That’s the approach that I had – this is on me to perform.”

As it stands, Russell is still without a contract for next year. Four-time champion Max Verstappen, perhaps the only driver widely ranked ahead of the Englishman, was on the market, but he’s now committed to racing for Red Bull.

George Russell shares what Lewis Hamilton made him realise about F1

Later in the podcast, Russell explained how he changed his approach after joining Mercedes. He’s now more aggressive, raising his overall ceiling and accepting that mistakes will occasionally happen.

Partnering Hamilton made him realise that he shouldn’t be afraid of failure. Russell wants to emulate Michael Schumacher, who joined Ferrari in 1996 but had to wait until 2000 to win the title.

“In terms of a philosophy I stand by, and I wish I stood by this earlier in my career, don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to push yourself beyond your limit, and fail, because it’s always those failures that make you stronger as an individual.

“I preferred to be at 95% of my own capability and know that I could not make a mistake, but I’m not going to my limit. I realised – it was actually when I became teammates with Lewis – that I’ve got untapped potential that I’m not digging into.

“I’ve made more mistakes than ever in these last three years, but I’ve been driving at a greater level than ever in these last three years.”

Russell has been extremely consistent this year, placing in the top six in 28 out of 34 competitive sessions. He’s scored just under 64% of Mercedes’ points (151 vs 64 for Antonelli).