George Russell says Sakhir pass shaped Mercedes fate

George Russell said his overtake on Valtteri Bottas during his stand-in Mercedes drive at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix was “key for my future with Mercedes,” describing the race as the moment that proved he was ready for a full-time seat.

Russell was drafted in from Williams after Lewis Hamilton tested positive for coronavirus and immediately put himself in contention, qualifying second to Bottas and leading most of the race. What should have been a breakthrough win unraveled under the Safety Car when Mercedes mistakenly fitted Bottas’s tyres to Russell’s car, dropping him down the order before a slow puncture later finished off his chances.

It was in the recovery drive, though, that Russell now sees the defining moment. Speaking to F1, Russell said the race “wasn’t built up to be a head-to-head of Valtteri versus myself,” but added that “everybody knew that I was gunning to try and take over his seat.” He said: “I think this overtake was key for my future with Mercedes. When I saw the opportunity to make the pass on him around the outside, I took it.”

That charge carried extra weight because Sakhir came so early in his career with a front-running team. Russell said it was his 37th race in Formula 1 and his first with Mercedes, and in his 100th-grand-prix reflections he called it a “baptism of fire” after serving his apprenticeship at the back with Williams while trying to earn promotion.

The result left him with what he called “really mixed emotions.” Russell said Mercedes “could have comfortably been stood on the top step,” only for “the Safety Car, wrong tyres, puncture… hence the emotions thereafter.” The race did not deliver the victory, but it gave Mercedes a direct look at what he could do in its car under pressure.

Russell now draws a straight line from that night in Sakhir to his position inside the team. He said: “I jumped in this car, was leading the whole race, could have won the race, but I think with how things panned out, it gave me the opportunity to fight through the pack, have that battle with Valtteri, and it’s what led me to this, being stood here today. All for a reason!”

That view also shapes how he talks about Toto Wolff as Mercedes tries to re-establish itself at the front. Russell said he and Wolff have known each other for 12 years and have come through “the highs and the lows,” including his push to reach Mercedes and “four years of relative failure for us, not fighting for a championship.” He said the turnaround this season, including Mercedes’ Melbourne one-two, felt like proof that “we’re back.”

Russell said that shared history makes the current fight more meaningful. He is third in the 2026 drivers’ championship with 106 points after seven rounds, and said recent conversations with Wolff have centered on “what we’ve endured these last four years” and “how much we’ve fought to bring Mercedes back on top.”