Ex-F1 Owner Makes ‘Superstardom’ Claim over George Russell’s Rise Against Max Verstappen

Claire Williams believes that George Russell's now has achieved superstardom just like Max Verstappen in F1.

Ex-F1 Owner Makes ‘Superstardom’ Claim over George Russell’s Rise Against Max Verstappen

George Russell and Max Verstappen (image via Red Bull)

The 2025 season has peaked in competition at the forefront, as more than four drivers have started the season off in great form. George Russell shockingly started the year off in great form and has achieved a podium in all his outings. The Briton now sits at the P4 spot and is competing with Max Verstappen for the third spot. Now, with Russell aiming to bridge the gap between him and the reigning world champion, ex-F1 team owner Claire Williams has sided with the former in his rise against Verstappen.

George Russell now takes the lead driver role at Mercedes and likely has things going his way. The Briton has maintained a calm attitude while racing on the grid this year without pushing unnecessarily. This has helped Russell achieve over 93 points and is just 6 points shy of Max Verstappen. The Mercedes star could quickly bridge the gap to Verstappen in the wake of Red Bull’s incessant power struggles.

Claire Williams has not only been a viewer but an admirer of George Russell’s prowess since the beginning of the 2025 season. The 48-year-old believes that Russell is in a league of his own and incomparable to other drivers on the grid currently. Williams believes that the Briton’s current performance is reminiscent of Max Verstappen’s dominance in the past three years. As such, the 27-year-old has now tapped into the zone of absolute stardom and isn’t going to look back in performing well.

I’ve watched the start of this season. George is on a different level. And this is what I think you see with drivers and what you’ve seen with Max [Verstappen] over the past two or three years, they tip into that zone of just absolute superstardom, and George is there now.

Claire Williams said on the F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast

Claire Williams led the Williams F1 team for over seven and a half years before stepping down from the coveted position. A young George Russell raced for Williams back when she was still the team principal for a short span between 2019 to 2020. Ms. Williams recalled that she couldn’t let the Briton go so soon, and she hated to do that. The reason is that Russell more than deserved a promotion to Mercedes, but the Williams team would have struggled even more without the 27-year-old. The 48-year-old was afraid of what would happen to the Grove-based constructor if Russell weren’t in the team back then.

George wanted to go to Mercedes in that last couple of years, and I couldn’t let him go, and I hated that. It makes me upset to think about it. I needed him, I felt, more than Mercedes, and he was in contract. If I let him go, what message would that have sent? What would that have done to my team if I’d have let George go?

Claire Williams added

Claire Williams labels George Russell as one of the ‘greatest things’

George Russell didn’t hold back from performances even after being paired up with one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton. The 27-year-old outscored the seven-time world champion for two years out of the three years they raced together. On top of this, Russell keeps a cool head in and out of the track, which only increases the likeness towards his personality. Claire Williams recounted the good old days of the Williams F1 team with the Briton.

Lando Norris and George Russell (via F1 Oversteer)
Lando Norris and George Russell (via F1 Oversteer)

Claire Williams asserted that George Russell was one of the greatest things to happen to the Williams F1 team. Russell’s performance at the struggling constructor caught the attention of some impressive outfits on the grid, especially Mercedes. However, the German constructor wasn’t providing a good enough offer to the 27-year-old back then. Hence, this was also one of the main reasons that Ms. Williams blocked the move early on in his career.

He was one of the greatest things that we had at Williams. When you go into a negotiation with a team like Mercedes and they’re not offering you what they should be for your A-star driver, then why would you just let him go? What kind of Team Principal would I have been if I’d have just let George go because Mercedes said, ‘we want George now’. That’s not how it works, is it?

Claire Williams noted

George Russell’s formative years were spent at Williams Racing under Claire Williams’ leadership. Although the two did not work together for as long as they wanted, it was enough for Williams to gain a deep sense of respect for Russell. The 27-year-old is now making strides in his Formula 1 career and will continue to do so in the coming years. For now, Mercedes aims to bridge the gap in performance to the championship leader, McLaren, and provide the Briton with a great shot at the drivers’ title.

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