F1 experts said he’d ‘win 10’ world championships, now he’s barely finishing in the points

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George Russell was asked earlier this year about the importance of patience in Formula 1. He had to spend three years at Williams before graduating to the Mercedes team.

Despite his consistently impressive performances for the Grove outfit, Russell had to wait until Mercedes were ready to move on for Valtteri Bottas. Bottas couldn’t consistently challenge Lewis Hamilton, but he was the perfect number two.

When Russell finally got the call-up in 2022, he won a race and outscored Hamilton, which made it appear overdue. But seven seasons into his F1 career, he probably expected to have more than four victories under his belt.

But the Englishman was keen to impress on Motorsport DE that it’s extremely difficult to predict the future in this sport. Even the most exciting careers can stall unexpectedly.

George Russell says Fernando Alonso was backed to win another eight world titles

Russell pointed to the example of Fernando Alonso, who became the youngest double world champion in F1 history when he won the 2005 and 2006 titles. He was only a couple of months beyond his 25th birthday at the time.

According to Russell, experts backed the Renault driver, who had ended the Michael Schumacher and Ferrari dynasty, to win double-figure championships. But nearly two decades after his last title, he’s still sitting on two.

He’s suffered multiple heartbreaks – one at McLaren, when he lost out to Kimi Raikkonen by a point – and two at Ferrari. A return to Woking failed miserably, and while he came back to the sport in 2021 after two years away, neither Alpine nor Aston Martin have furnished him with a contending car.

Indeed, Alonso sits 11th in the world championship with more half the season gone, having failed to finish in the points in nine out of 14 races.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was the architect of Alonso’s pain during his Ferrari stint. But even the German won his last title at 26, with his subsequent failure to deliver the title at Maranello costing him his place at the front of the grid.

• READ MORE: Why George Russell believes he can replicate Ferrari-era Michael Schumacher if he stays at Mercedes

Russell said: “Look at Fernando: he comes in, wins two titles in his first four years, and people say, ‘He’ll win ten.’ He hasn’t won a title since.

“Or Sebastian: he wins four, and then no more. If you look at Michael Schumacher, it took him five years at Ferrari before he won his first title. This is my fourth year at Mercedes, next year will be my fifth…”

Why Jacques Villeneuve ranks Fernando Alonso above Lewis Hamilton

All hope is not yet lost for Alonso. Aston Martin have put the pieces in place to mount a challenge following the regulation changes this winter, most notably signing Adrian Newey.

Crucially, Alonso is still one of the best drivers in F1, as he proved with a sublime P5 at the Hungarian GP last time out. But Aston need to deliver immediately, because he’s just turned 44.

At this stage, a third championship would represent a fairytale end to Alonso’s career. But even that tally might not fairly reflect his talent.

Despite the statistical gulf, Jacques Villeneuve says Alonso is a better champion than Hamilton. The Williams legend says consistency of performance is the difference between the two.