George Russell will wait for glory: “It took Michael Schumacher four years”

Russell, now in his second season with Mercedes, signed a new deal until the end of 2025 to remain alongside seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

With Max Verstappen on course for a third straight title and showing no sign of slowing down, Russell has learned lessons from the past.

“Max spent four years at Red Bull before he got his chance of truly fighting for a championship,” Russell told Autoweek. 

“And the same with Schumacher, when he went to Ferrari it was four years before he won a championship. 

“Whereas we all look at him as the guy who was at Ferrari, dominant, won everything, you know, it took four or five years before he got that success there.”

Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996 as a two-time champion with Benetton, but spent four years building towards his golden period.

From 2000 he embarked on a sensational five-year run of winning the championship every season.

Russell must accept driving alongside the feted Hamilton, and therefore not being an undisputed No1 driver in his team, for the next two-and-a-half years.

Although Mercedes made that dynamic work when Nico Rosberg was Hamilton’s teammate, as they both won titles.

Russell denied ever contemplating leaving Mercedes before penning his new deal.

"We're on this journey and it's sort of like we're bound to one another,” said ys Russell. 

“You're like a married couple, you’re in this together.

“I think if you're with Mercedes or Red Bull, you can be very confident that if one isn't winning, the other one's going to be right there chasing and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

“Mercedes were the ones who believed in me. They're the ones who supported me. 

“And I feel almost like a duty to return their faith in me, with loyalty, with delivering my best and ultimately delivering a championship with them: that is my dream and my goal.”