Lewis Hamilton would have stayed at Mercedes on current form, says George Russell
Seven-time world champion Hamilton, Formula One's most successful driver of all time, stunned the sport when he announced in February he would be racing for the Italian team next season.
Mercedes won nothing in 2023, their first season-long blank since 2011, and Hamilton had not stood on the top step of the podium since 2021.
The former champions are now chasing a third successive victory at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix with Hamilton triumphant for a record ninth time at his home British race and Russell in Austria.
"I don’t think he would have left if the team was performing like this. No way he would have left, for sure not," Russell told Reuters.
"For 2026 the PU (power unit)’s looking really strong and everything we’re doing with the fuels is looking great and there’s a lot of optimism for us over the next couple of years," he continued.
"As tough as these last few years have been, it really feels like we’ve got the momentum with us now."
Ferrari have also won twice this year but their recent form has dropped off and they are in danger of losing second place to resurgent McLaren.
"I think everybody wants change at some point," Russell said of Hamilton. "He’s been here 12 years now, he’s achieved so much with the team. I think for him it’s exciting to have that change.
"But of course if the team you’re currently with are winning races and everything is looking super-great for the future, you just want to be in the fastest car possible and it doesn’t matter what colour that is."
He was on pole in Canada and at Silverstone and was a fortunate winner in Austria in June after Red Bull's championship leader Max Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris collided.
The Briton set the fastest lap at Imola and Hamilton in Monaco and Canada.
"It’s been an incredible turnaround. At the start of this year we knew we were taking two steps back with the car to give ourselves the possibility of three steps forward," said Russell, who had not thought even fighting for a win would be possible before the August break.
"When you start the season on the back foot you kind of question yourself, have you made the right decision, but the improvements we brought to Montreal have delivered so much performance and lap time.
"We’ve led the last four races at various points, we’ve been without doubt the quickest in qualifying and the race in two of those four races. It’s really exciting. It’s come at a great time for us.
"It just kind of feels like it’s clicking now."
Russell credited technical director James Allison, who returned full-time last year, as a key figure in the turnaround at a team that has stayed united despite the difficulties.
"It just kind of feels like the Mercedes of years ago," he added.
"It’s never one person but just having James taking all the ideas and steering in the right direction and empowering the people to go and do it has been great."
Russell, who has outqualified Hamilton 10-2 this season although there is only one point between them in the standings, said he was performing better than ever.
"I don’t think there’s ever been more than a tenth or two splitting the two of us and that gives me a lot of confidence," he said.
"In a different era I know I’d have been fighting for world championships. Now I hope this is our time to come, from now onwards."
