It’s been a whirlwind as of late for 26 year old F1 phenom, George Russell. After his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton announced that he’d be abandoning his team for the last 11 years to join Ferrari, Russell then stepped into the role of senior driver at Mercedes. At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Russell came in third after a dramatic last-lap incident. Making the switch to harder tires in the race’s final laps significantly boosted his speed (one second quicker than his competitors in the last 20 laps) resulting in intense speculation over what to expect at the upcoming race today in Singapore on September 22, 2024.
We had a chat with the British speedster to discuss his new position at Mercedes, his partnership with IWC, style inspirations, and James Bond.
Esquire: How do you feel about being the senior racer with Mercedes, and what do you expect for 2025 with all these young drivers joining the paddock?
George Russell: It reminds me of when I was the youngster alongside Lando and Charles and Max, and we were keeping the older guys on their toes, so that’ll be their job with me. I remember when I joined Mercedes alongside the greatest driver of all time, so there was a lot of pressure, but over the last few years I’ve definitely proven myself. And same for these new guys: they’re young, they’re aggressive, and if they’ve made it this far then there’s no doubt they’re deserving to be here. But I’m still only 26, so I still consider myself a young pup, and I’ve got many years left in me.
Esquire: Tell me about the improvements made to the Mercedes car, and how do you think it will race for the rest of the year?
GR: If you took the Mercedes of today and put it in the championship of 2022, it would have won every single race, hands down. Same with a McLaren or a Ferrari from today, and put it in a race from two years ago. This sport is constantly developing and evolving and your rivals are improving at a similar rate. So although the car feels great compared to what it did a year ago, I still have to keep looking ahead to the car of tomorrow.
Esquire: You’ve long been in partnership with IWC Schaffhausen. When did your fascination with time pieces begin?
GR: My favourite watch is the one I’m rocking at the moment, the Aqua Ingeniuer, which was released last year. But some years ago I saw Brad Pitt wearing an IWC watch, an old one from the ’80s, and that was my first time really getting drawn into that world. But I’m very luck to have four IWC watches that I switch between. I love my Top Gun Ceratanium, which was a watch I saw for the first time when walking through Singapore airport about eight years ago, and I said to myself, that is a watch that I want to own one day, so that was very special when I got that. I love the Performance Chronograph, because when I wear it with my racing suit, it all just comes together so effortlessly. When I went to Schaffhausen for the first time to the IWC headquarters, I got to witness the craftsmanship that goes into making a timepiece, the pursuit of utter perfection, and it felt like walking into a Formula One team. If anything, watch making is on an even smaller, more precise magnitude than a car, as they narrow it down to the millimeter. But it’s really been since my partnership with IWC that I’ve come to love and appreciate watch making as an art form.
Esquire: You mentioned Brad Pitt. Do you have any other style gurus you look up to?
GR: I think Beckham’s style is just impeccable, and definitely somebody whose sense of style I’ve always been very fascinated by.
Esquire: On the subject of British style, have you picked up Oasis tickets for next summer?
GR: I will definitely be going to that. I recently saw Robbie Williams live in concert, and yes, he did end the show with Angels, of course.
Esquire: What do you eat before and after a race?
GR: I used to struggle with my stomach quite a bit because the G-force is so severe, and that’s on top of the straps, helmet, clothing, and extreme heat, which can reach 50 degrees in the cockpit. After Romain Grosjean’s crash, the fireproofs we wear have become so much thicker, so unbreathable, so when you’re racing in Miami in 30 degree heat with 80 percent humidity going 200 miles per hour around a sharp turn, the last thing you want is a big lump of food in your stomach. My record for weight lost during a race was 4 kilos a few years ago, so before a race I’ll have something really light like cereal, and afterwards I’ll usually have something like fruit. I used to have these big, English breakfasts in the past, and that would just painfully sit in my stomach all day long.
Esquire: Lastly, what’s your favourite film?
GR: I love Guy Ritchie movies, those are great. And as an Englishman, you feel quite patriotic when watching James Bond. I remember watching them with my dad growing up, specifically Casino Royale. The Aston Martin. The clothes. I think every British person feels a sense of pride when watching James Bond.
The Singapore Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, September 22 at 4:00 pm. Watch it here.
