George Russell expresses gratitude to Mercedes F1 for “immense privilege”

Mercedes star George Russell got the opportunity to drive the Mercedes-Benz W196 around the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool to honor Sir Sterling Moss’ victory at the 1955 British GP. Russell took to X and expressed his gratitude for getting the opportunity to drive the historic car.

Sir Sterling Moss became the first Briton to win the British Grand Prix when he drove the Mercedes-Benz W196 in P1 to the checkered flag at the Aintree Racecourse. With the 2025 British GP on the horizon and the teams arriving in the UK, Mercedes decided to honor the 70th anniversary of Sir Sterling Moss’ victory.

The Mercedes-Benz W196 competed in 12 races over the 1954 and 1955 F1 World Championship season and won a total of nine races. Juan Manuel Fangio won eight races, while Sir Sterling Moss won one. Fangio won the 1954 and 1955 Drivers' Championship in the W196.

The W196 featured a 2.5L naturally aspirated inline 8 engine, which produced 300 horsepower in the S variant. Sterling Moss took the pole position for the 1955 British GP, set the fastest lap, and won the race. It was a dominant weekend for Mercedes as all four entries finished 1-2-3-4 with Fangio and Moss fighting for the race win.

George Russell got the opportunity to drive the #8 W196 with Mercedes, uploading a video about the same on YouTube. Russell suggested that he drove the #10 W196 around Goodwood in 2018. Nonetheless, the Briton took to X and thanked Mercedes for the opportunity in his tweet.

“WOW! Such an immense privilege to drive the Mercedes-Benz W196 at Aintree!!! 🤩🇬🇧 This car represents so much to the Mercedes heritage. A massive thank you to the team and everyone involved in making this happen 🙏 It really is a moment I won’t ever forget 🩵” read George Russell's tweet.

George Russell also included a few photos from his outing in the W196 around Aintree.

George Russell's reaction to reports of Toto Wolff's conversation with Max Verstappen

George Russell’s Mercedes contract expires at the end of this season, and the Brackley-based team hasn't offered the Briton a contract extension as of yet. Amid this, reports of Toto Wolff having a conversation with Max Verstappen over a possible switch to Mercedes for 2026 also came out.

Russell was asked about it ahead of the 2025 Austrian GP, and the Briton seemed aware of this conversation as he said, via Sky Sports F1:

“It's only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. But from my side, if I'm performing as I'm doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula 1 team. “Toto has made it clear to me that he thinks how I'm performing this year is as good as anybody. I think there's only one driver that you can debate in terms of performance - these are his words, these are not my words - so that's why I have no concern about the future,” added Russell.

Kimi Antonelli was also signed on a one-year contract, and it is possible that Mercedes can line up George Russell and Max Verstappen for the 2026 season.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam