Overview
George Russell is a racing driver who competes in Formula One. He is an English driver currently signed to Williams, and will race for Mercedes-AMG at the start of the 2022 season.
Russell is one of the most promising youngsters on the grid, and is heavily touted as a future world champion. His ability to squeeze every last drop of performance from a car is well-documented, and fans are very excited for him and how he will add more worth and appeal to the sport in general.
George Russell early life and career
Russell was born George William Russell in King’s Lynn, Norfolk in February of 1998. He was born to a family of three children, and is the youngest of them. He has an elder brother and sister.
Russell grew up in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, and did his schooling from the Wisbech Grammar School. At the same time, his racing career was going on, and it got serious enough for him to move to Milton-Keynes at the age of 18.
Russell picked up racing from a young age. At the age of seven, he started karting and soon became very interested in it. He was a quick learner, and progressed to the cadet class within three years of starting karting. He became MSA British Champion and British Open Champion in his debut year.
The year after that, he graduated to the Rotax Mini Max category. He became Super One British champion and clinched the Formula Kart Stars British championship. He also became the winner of the Kartmasters British Grand Prix.
More championships and honours followed in his final years at karting. He won the SKUSA Supernationals title and CIK-FIA European Championship, the latter which he defended successfully the next year.
In 2014, the English youngster finally made a much-awaited single-seater debut, competing in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Championship. He finished P4 in the championship despite missing an entire round, with a podium at the Red Bull Ring being the highlight.
In 2015, he got his big break when he was selected to join the British Racing Drivers’ Club SuperStars programme. He was part of an elite group of 12 young talented drivers, and was the youngest-ever driver to be selected for the programme.
Russell entered Formula Three late in 2015, and wasted no time making a statement. He won his first race in F3 on the opening round of the season, taking a solid victory at Silverstone. He then made the move to Hitech GP in 2016, and took two victories and finished third overall.
In 2018, he joined Formula Two, and from then on, his rise was meteoric. He became a Mercedes reserve driver, and then his jump to F1 was made possible thanks to Williams handing him a contract. The rest, as they say, is history. Or in Russell’s case, it is history that is being written.
George Russell’s family
Russell was born into a middle-class family that sacrificed a lot to get him to where he is today. His is a very supportive family of five, and the 23-year-old can consider himself lucky to have the support and backing of such a lovely bunch.
Father
Russell’s father’s name is Steve Russell. He used to run a small ‘peas and beans’ business to support his family. However, upon realising the potential his son had, he sold the business to fund his career in motorsport. It’s safe to say that George has repaid him for his sacrifice and hard work.
George and his father both support Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Mother
Russell’s mother is Alison Russell. Not much is known about her, but her son has hailed her for being a very supportive mother who made sure her son got the best treatment possible everywhere he went. She is one of his biggest supporters.
Brother
Russell has an elder brother by the name of Benjy Russell. He also used to be a karting contender and has contested in championships when he was younger. George and Benjy share a close relationship.
Sister
Russell’s sister Cara Russell does not indulge in motorsports like her other siblings. However, she is an ardent supporter of her younger brother and routinely cheers for him on her social media.
What is the net worth of George Russell in 2022?
The youngster is one of the biggest talents in F1, and as mentioned before is touted by fans, former drivers, and pundits to become a world champion in the future. He first competed in the 2019 Australian GP, and never looked back or gave up since then.
The move to Mercedes skyrocketed his net worth, as it now means that he will be in a championship-winning car from 2022 onwards. According to multiple sources, Russell’s net worth is a solid $1 million, which is around £700,000.
Should Russell take a few wins or indeed that world championship, his net worth will only be shooting upwards for a long time to come. He could also become a more marketable driver and could add to his net worth and earnings through the inevitable endorsements and sponsorship deals.
Expectations of George Russell net worth in the future
Russell having an ever-increasing net worth means his valuation in terms of salary. Teams will have to pay more to secure his services, and that is something that Mercedes will be keen on doing.
For context, Russell’s yearly salary at Williams is $1.2 million (£876,000). Although that is a staggering amount for us mere mortals, it is perhaps less for a driver of his capability. To put it into perspective, his soon-to-be-teammate Lewis Hamilton earns around $76 million (£55.5 million).
This means that the sky is the limit for the young man. With 2022 coming up, the Russell era may well and truly be upon us.
Read more: George Russell could challenge Lewis Hamilton in 2022 for the championship title