Russell excited for future: "There's light at the end of the tunnel."

George Russell has had a stellar start to his Mercedes career, claiming seven podium finishes and placing in the top five on numerous occasions, despite the team itself notably struggling. However, this is something that the Brit doesn't see lasting into next season.

In an interview with GQ-magazine.com, Russell said: "For a team of Mercedes' calibre, we have underperformed substantially this season but I can see there's light at the end of the tunnel."

Growth within the team is very noticeable

The Brit went on to talk about how important it is to grow as a team throughout the season in order to succeed and it's something that Mercedes have managed to get on top of. This was seen clearly throughout the season, as Russell and, his teammate, Lewis Hamilton improved every week. He stated: "Moments like this either make or break a team. Either you fall apart because there's so much pressure, emotions are high, and maybe you’re thinking irrationally about a number of the issues, or you grow stronger together.

"I'm really feeling that, seeing how the team is coming together, going about the issues we've had almost scientifically, as you would and should in a Formula 1 team, and being rational about every single issue rather than making decisions in the heat of the moment."