George Russell names the “biggest life lesson” he’s learned from Lewis Hamilton

George Russell has recounted the “biggest life lesson” that he’s learned from Lewis Hamilton during their time as teammates at Mercedes.

The 2024 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix brought an end to the Russell-Hamilton partnership.

While Russell enjoyed a decisive edge through the 2024 F1 campaign, it was Hamilton who came out on top in the season finale.

Hamilton recovered from his Q1 exit to finish fourth at the Yas Marina Circuit, overtaking his teammate on the final lap with a daring move.

The result means Hamilton outscored Russell in terms of points across their three seasons together as teammates. 

However, Russell beat Hamilton in two of those seasons outright (2022 and 2024).

Speaking after the race in Abu Dhabi, Russell was asked what his “abiding memory” of working with Hamilton would be.

“To be honest, I think just seeing first-hand what a role model he is,” Russell said. “I think I sort of recognise from Lewis that we’ve all got this platform, and we have to use it correctly.

“That’s become even more apparent to me when, with my young niece and nephews watching TikTok and YouTube and Netflix. I spend a bit of time with Toto’s son, who also, he and his friends see Netflix and all of this stuff.

“And how you deal with the victories, how you deal with the losses, you inspire the young kids, and I think also this weekend, when I look back to that photo I had of Lewis and I when I was a kid, I looked up to him the same way as all these kids look up to us.

“I think that’s probably been the biggest life lesson that I’ve learned from him, that sometimes, even if you want to really express something, there’s hundreds of millions of people watching, and the way you do it is important.”

Russell to lead Mercedes in 2025

With Hamilton switching to Ferrari, Russell will become the team’s de facto leader.

Russell will partner with 18-year-old wonderkid Andrea Kimi Antonelli in 2025. 

Russell consistently demonstrated his impressive one-lap speed through 2024, but there are still questions about his ultimate race pace.

In Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, Hamilton reeled Russell in at a rapid rate, suggesting Russell still has some work to do on Sundays to be considered among the very best in F1.

In qualifying, Russell was one of F1’s most consistent performers, beating Hamilton 19–5 in the head-to-head.