George Russell: I could have 20 poles, wins by now in different F1 era

Mercedes driver George Russell explained that, without the dominance of Max Verstappen, the last three seasons could have potentially seen him earn up to 20 victories and pole positions.

The British driver remains confident that his “time will come” in the sport, having most recently taken his second career Grand Prix victory in Austria in July.

George Russell: Different F1 era could have yielded up to 20 wins by now

Verstappen won a whopping 34 of the 44 races to take place in 2022 and 2023, a quite remarkable statistic as he cantered to two of his three World Championships by record margins, setting all-time records for the most victories in a single season in the process.

Russell’s previous sole victory to date had come at Interlagos in 2022, before taking top spot in Austria after the Dutchman collided with Lando Norris late on, but he then had a third win taken from him at the last round at Spa-Francorchamps following a disqualification for an underweight car.

With three career pole positions to his name, Russell explained how this current time in Formula 1 is “Max’s era”, but he is going to bide his time and will be ready when the opportunity comes.

“If these last three years was a different era, I potentially can have 20 wins, poles to my name and fighting for championships in all of these years,” Russell told The Times.

How is George Russell faring against Lewis Hamilton in F1 2024?

? F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying records between team-mates

? F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

“My time will come. When I look at Fernando [Alonso] or Lewis, I think I’ve got a good 17 to 20 years left in me. We’re all going to get our opportunity at some point.

“This is Max time. Max’s era. There’s no guarantee that he’s going to be fighting every single year in the future.

“Who knows what’s going to come next? I’ve just got to make sure I’m ready.”

Given that nothing is a certainty in Formula 1, with Russell having started out in a backmarking Williams team prior to his rise to Mercedes in 2022, he explained that his hurdle in junior racing in his teenage years made him realise that there are factors in motorsport beyond his control, which has helped him in the present day.

“It was only when I was 16 that I recognised life’s not quite as simple as what you believed as a kid, and you couldn’t just rely on your speed and talent, you had to go above and beyond,” he said.

“I think that was … to be honest, the fact that it was a little bit challenging for me for a year and a half, two years, of not knowing my future. It’s been very beneficial for me now as a person.”

Read next: Max Verstappen receives Le Mans blow with long-term ambition scuppered by father