Martin Brundle shares what George Russell is thinking about latest Mercedes developments

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As the dust settles around Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, Martin Brundle has explained how George Russell will be feeling.

On Thursday, transfer deadline day saw arguably the biggest F1 move this century take place with Lewis Hamilton being confirmed to be joining Ferrari from 2025 onwards.

This has displaced Carlos Sainz as he will now need to find a new seat for the 2025 season – although he’s not thought to be short of options.

The other driver directly affected by this huge move is George Russell who has lost his teammate at Mercedes, which could see him promoted to the number one seat.

So with Russell directly affected by this, Martin Brundle has shared how he thinks the British driver will be feeling right now.

Martin Brundle sheds light onto George Russell’s current stance

Speaking on Thursday, Sky Sports F1 legend Martin Brundle has shared his verdict onto how Russell could be feeling right now.

“I think he’ll be thinking, please, that’s good! I am top man here unquestionably now.

“George is ready to pick up the mantle at Mercedes Benz, there’s no doubt about it at all.

“And he’s measured himself against statistically and arguably the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time, that’s a debate we could have all afternoon, back to Fangio and Moss.

“But George has measured himself against Lewis and looks incredibly strong, very equal.

“If Mercedes have got a championship-winning car this year, who would win, would it be George or Lewis?

“I think it would be really close, so that’s the level that George is at now.”

Mercedes already have their next lead driver in Russell

While losing Hamilton is a blow in terms of market value, on the track Mercedes could actually benefit from having Russell as the lead driver and bringing in a talented second seat to join the team.

Since he arrived in the Mercedes team, the younger Brit has been arguably better than his iconic teammate. In the 2022 season, Russell finished fourth in the drivers standings with 275 points, thus beating Hamilton by 35 points and two places.

This flipped last season for the duo with Russell only earning 175 points and finishing eighth compared to Hamilton’s 234 points and third place.

Something to note however is 2023 – below Max Verstappen – was a far more competitive season so points were more evenly shared. So in terms of points little separates the two, but Russell is the future and will only improve.

Leading a team can be a daunting task for a young driver, but with Russell, Mercedes have a driver who’s already conquered that experience with Williams. So we have zero doubt that Russell is now envisioning himself as Mercedes’ lead driver and believes he can be a success.