Lando Norris and George Russell: Who will replace Lewis Hamilton as Britain’s No. 1?
Lewis Hamilton's shock 2025 Ferrari move did not just transcend Transfer Deadline Day, but it was a statement of intent, as the seven-time champion demonstrated to the world that he is not anywhere near done - he will do whatever it takes to win an eighth title.
While Hamilton may be showing no signs of slowing down, Lando Norris and George Russell have made it clear that they will be the ones to fight for the crown as top Brit when Hamilton does finally retire from Formula 1.
While Norris and Russell have been on their own journeys, following in the steps of and filling Hamilton's boots are a recurring theme in both of their careers.
Norris the shining light McLaren needed
McLaren were in a dark place in the late 2010s as they publicly fell out with their engine supplier Honda.
Norris arrived at McLaren to help turn the 'GP2 engine' frowns into papaya-soaked serotonin hits, and his injection of youth, speed and star power was precisely what McLaren needed to lead their climb towards the front of the F1 pack, where they belong.
At the end of the 2023 season, Sky Sports F1 asked the fans who they thought would first become world champion of the British pair, and 65 per cent voted for Norris over Russell.
F1 journalist Maddie Hudson says they were not surprised by the results.
"I don't think it's surprising because of how popular Lando is within the community", said Hudson.
"But also, he's shown with McLaren that he came in as a rookie and straight away was able to adapt and now he's leading that team."
Being thrown into the deep end in a big team forced Norris to mature quickly - he has become a team leader despite being paired with more experienced operators like Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo.
"Personally, I agree with the poll," said Hudson.
"Norris is in a team that he's been with his entire career, and that is only going to help him - he's obviously very comfortable, and that's a huge part of why he's doing so well.
"He's starting to gain more confidence, having been very self-critical in the past."
A happy driver is a reliable driver, and it shows in the numbers.
While Norris' first season was plagued by reliability issues, causing him to retire on six occasions, the Glastonbury boy has since failed to finish a race just five times.
Norris' 11 DNFs look good next to George Russell (17) and Lewis Hamilton after as many races (15).
Current cream of the crop, Max Verstappen failed to finish twice as much as Norris is as many races (22), further demonstrating Norris' strength amongst his peers.
This consistency may be why Norris has three more podiums (13) than George Russell (10) and 164 more career points - you can only pick up good results if you are there at the end.
One crucial statistic that Norris does fall down on compared to Russell is winning a Grand Prix.
He came bitterly close to doing so during the Russian Grand Prix 2021, but between him and his team, they dropped the ball during a late rain shower, allowing Hamilton to slip through for his 100th career victory.
Norris' illusive race victory could be a "mental barrier", according to Hudson.
"For Lando, I would think there's a mental barrier in terms of having been so close to that victory and having a car good enough to win [in Russia], and having that snatched from you.
"He may be almost second-guessing himself every time a decision has to be made, and I feel like it's affected his confidence.
"It's a matter of time[Norris' first victory], and while it will be an achievement, it will also be a sign of relief when it comes.
"Comparing himself to George who now has a win, I think that is his biggest barrier on the way to becoming a world champion - he has got the consistency, it's just him proving to himself that he can go and take it."
Russell waiting in the wings for 'too long'
When comparing the data of the two young Brits, there is the caveat that Russell spent the first three seasons at the Williams team, which finished tenth, tenth, and eighth in the ten-team championship, respectively, compared to Norris, who has never been in a car worse than fifth-fastest over a season.
Russell says he wants things "yesterday," and that is because he knows he can mix it with the very best, and he has had to be patient for most of his career, having quickly outgrown the Williams team.
Hudson believes that the two drivers' early experiences in F1 have helped shape their respective strengths.
"I'd say with George that he was in an environment where there was less pressure to score points, so he had more opportunities to win it or bin it - and grow - whereas with Lando he immediately needed to get results and consistency.
"There's points where Lando has backed off to ensure that the team get a good result rather than allowing that competitive nature to take over which has sometimes been George's downfall."
This ultra-competitive nature helped Russell put in a stand-out performance in 2020 when he replaced a sidelined Hamilton and missed out on victory due only to a puncture before winning in his first season at Mercedes in Brazil.
Russell maintains that he drove for Williams for "too long" - an assessment that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has since admitted.
The reality is that Russell would normally have been in the car after one season, like Max Verstappen at Red Bull and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, but Mercedes was going through a far from average period.
As the Silver Arrows and Lewis Hamilton dominated F1, one of the winning formulas was the partnership between Hamilton and the reliable, diplomatic and likeable Valtteri Bottas.
Hamilton maintains that Bottas was his favourite team-mate to this day. So, as long as the championships came, the champion's calls to keep Bottas were heeded.
In 2021, though, Russell's talent was too glaring to ignore for Toto Wolff, welcoming the King's Lynn man to Brackley for 2022.
The Hamilton factor for Russell is now changing, which will create the opportunity that the 26-year-old needs, according to Hudson.
"I think it would be interesting to see how the fan poll on X would change now the news has come out about Hamilton leaving Mercedes.
"George will most likely be looking to lead that Mercedes team - after the first few races of next season, will people's opinions change?
"Hamilton leaving is definitely an opportunity for George, especially with the regulation changes coming up in 2026.
"Mercedes still have ongoing issues at the moment, but if he's able to establish himself in that leadership role and the team are able to bring the car, then I think he's in a very good position to be the lead British driver on the grid."
How to they compare to their team-mates?
Arguably, the fairest and most accurate way to measure racing drivers is to compare them to their team-mates. In Hamilton, Russell has one of the toughest team-mates in F1 history.
Russell had his greatest season in 2022, outscoring Hamilton and winning a race, while the seven-time world champion failed to do so for the first time in his career.
2023 saw Hamilton reassert his Silver Arrows dominance, showing the consistency to finish third in the championship with the second-highest ranking team, while Russell was a disappointing eighth, finishing behind four drivers in lower-ranking teams.
This considerable difference in performance may have been because Hamilton made the Mercedes look better, but the 59-point gap was stark.
However, being 1-1 on seasons with the best indicates the level Russell can be if consistent.
Norris has had well-respected team-mates throughout his career.
Carlos Sainz got the better of the young Brit in both seasons together before Norris embarrassed the multiple race-winner Daniel Ricciardo over two seasons and kept Oscar Piastri, the rookie, with one of the most impressive CVs at bay.
In 2023, Norris outperformed his car, finishing sixth in the fourth-best team and scoring the second-highest number of points in the second half of the season behind champion Verstappen, underlining further his consistency compared to Russell.
Both Norris and Russell have made impressive starts to their careers, but neither has had as much success in F1 as they would have liked. Russell is the only one to have tasted victory.
It remains to be seen whether Russell can find the consistency and leadership qualities or Norris can find his first win.
But sometimes winning is not everything, and this is very much the case in an era of F1, which is currently dominated by Max Verstappen.
While both Russell and Norris will tell you they are ready to take the baton from Hamilton as the top British driver, they will have to wrestle it from the seven-time champion as he joins the Scuderia for one last spin of the wheel that he hopes will come up red.
Note: Data reflects performances after 104 races