Russell claims he 'could have had two world championships' had he joined Hamilton at Mercedes earlier

The Brit made his F1 debut in 2019 when he joined the struggling Williams team at the back of the grid, unable to fight for wins, but showed real pace and promise behind the wheel of the British team.

For the first time since his move to the German team, Russell doesn't have Lewis Hamilton as his teammate, while outperforming him in two of his three seasons he spent with the seven-time world champion after he joined Mercedes in 2022, making a fine start to the 2025 season with three podiums in five races to sit P4 in the championship.

However, if he had joined Mercedes straight from Formula 2 like his brand-new teammate Kimi Antonelli, Russell wonders if he'd have any titles to his name back when the German team were fighting at the front of the grid.

“Being a teammate to a seven-time world champion for three years is not easy,” Russell started by saying in conversation with The Athletic.

After years of dominance and a fierce battle with Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen in 2021, Mercedes and Hamilton then retreated from the front of the grid.

Russell joined and had to make do with an inferior car. He did get his first victory in F1 during the 2022 season, but it was anything but easy that year, with strong performances alternating with periods of disappointment in 2023 and 2024.

"If my time were five years prior, you could argue I’d have two championships in my name,” concluded the Brit.