George Russell Brands Max Verstappen as The “Gold Standard” of Current F1 Grid

George Russell talked highly about Max Verstappen and pondered over his chance to replicate the Dutchman's success in F1.

George Russell Brands Max Verstappen as The “Gold Standard” of Current F1 Grid

George Russell and Max Verstappen (via F1)

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Max Verstappen emerged as one of the best drivers on the grid despite running in a comparatively inferior challenger. The Dutchman was able to achieve the most amount of race wins and lost out on the title win by just two points to Lando Norris. Now, following a highly successful campaign by the four-time champion in 2025, Mercedes’ George Russell christens the former with an impressive title.

George Russell has always remained one of the more consistent drivers on track in terms of performance. The 2025 season was great for Russell as he managed to pick up two race wins and nine podium finishes over the year. However, the Briton has always fallen short of competing with Max Verstappen on track despite the two being rivals from their junior karting days.

Recently, George Russell had made a Michael Schumacher example while talking about his championship-less streak in Formula 1. Though the Briton has been racing in the pinnacle of motorsport for over seven years now, he has yet to even contend for the driver’s title. As such, Russell pondered over his chances to battle against Max Verstappen, who was certainly in a league of his own.

Speaking on Max Verstappen’s performances in recent years, George Russell reckoned that he could mix in with the guys fighting for races at the forefront. However, he accepted that Verstappen was the ‘gold standard’ in terms of results at the moment. Hence, Russell would like to go head-to-head against the four-time champion to find out his own capabilities.

I definitely know I can mix it with those guys at the top,Max is obviously the gold standard at the moment. He’s the one that I’d want to go head-to-head with, and I think he’s the only one that people would question. He’s the only driver on the grid that you’d want to be team-mates with to see your competitiveness.

George Russell said, as reported by RacingNews365

George Russell claims he has to be ‘patient’ to fight for the driver’s title

Winning a driver’s title in Formula 1 is certainly no joke, and every driver wishes to atleast fight for the title in their F1 careers. Many drivers have come in and gone out of the sport without ever coming close to the top spot. Though this has been the case for George Russell, he believes that he just needs to be patient and keep giving it his all on track to ultimately win the coveted title at the end.

Toto Wolff and George Russell (via IMAGO)
Toto Wolff and George Russell (via IMAGO)

George Russell recalled his transition from Williams to Mercedes back in 2022 and how he was always at the back of the grid. He accepted that it wasn’t a good situation, but he got out of it. Still, Russell wasn’t content with even finishing P2 in the title fight, as it wasn’t a title win. As such, the Briton highlighted that he was ready to fight for his maiden title win, but accepted that he just needed to be patient for it to come.

You’re not winning and that has been learning for me as well, coming from Williams when I was at the back every single weekend. That was so frustrating, but now I’m in this position, still not fighting for a championship, it isn’t really much different, if that makes sense. You’re either fighting for a championship or you’re not, and if you’re not, no one ever wants to fight for P2. So I’m ready for it, but I know my time, I have to be patient.

George Russell noted

Despite the massive ups and downs in performance, George Russell has certainly been one of the more impressive drivers. The Briton has consistently achieved race wins over the past couple of years. Now, Russell just needs to keep up with the positive performance throughout the season and not lose it mid-way through the year.

Read More: Toto Wolff Confesses Kimi Antonelli Was “Thrown to the Cannibals” in 2025 Season