George Russell has “all the ingredients” to lead Mercedes to F1 title post-Lewis Hamilton

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert believes George Russell has “all the ingredients” to lead Mercedes following Lewis Hamilton’s exit.

Russell will spearhead Mercedes in 2025 alongside 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was given the call-up as Hamilton’s replacement.

2024 was arguably Russell’s best season at Mercedes so far, taking two wins and having a decisive edge over Hamilton.

Speaking to Casinoutanspelpaus.io, Herbert backed Russell to lead Mercedes to possible F1 title triumphs.

“Mercedes and Toto Wolff have George Russell and they’ve got Kimi Antonelli, that dynamic is going to be interesting,to see exactly who is gonna come out on top there,” he said.

“I would predict it’s George. George has all the ingredients to be able to lead a team to winning races and winning a championship. Is it the right time for that?

“Well, not the right time. Is it feasible this year? Well, this is probably the best opportunity that they’re going to have because of how close I think the racing is going to be. Because the racing is close that means that they will have the opportunities to win the races then go towards that championship.”

“Then when we go further 2026, that’s where things are completely different. No one really knows what’s going on that year, that’s the one a team has to grab by the horns and lead the way. Mercedes can do that.”

How will Mercedes fare in F1 2025?

2025 could be another challenging year for Mercedes though.

They’ve struggled to get to grips with the current technical regulations, leading to an inconsistent level of performance.

However, Herbert thinks they could “surprise”.

“The surprise of 2025 some people might say could be Mercedes, who have been successful over the years but they haven't been of recent times,” he added.

“They’ve been better but it’s still not good enough and out of the rest of the teams, they’re the one who have under-achieved realistically. It’s time for them to achieve what potential that they’ve always had.”