George Russell’s journey to Formula One success was fueled by a sacrifice his family made early on. When he was 12, his father sold his agricultural business to finance Russell’s dream of becoming a racecar driver. Russell began racing go-karts in Britain at age 7 and showed great promise. His father, Steve, who ran a successful seed and wheat merchant business, chose to invest everything in his son’s racing career.
Russell spoke about his childhood in an interview with the Daily Mail, describing the challenges. “From age 7 to 16, you don’t realize what your parents are doing for you,” he said. “My father worked from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. every day to fund my weekend racing. As a child, you ask, ‘Where’s dad?’ and the answer is always ‘at work.’” He added that his father often came to races stressed and could become angry if Russell made mistakes on the track. His parents sometimes argued, with his mother feeling his father was too harsh.
The sacrifice seemed worth it on Father’s Day 2025 when Russell, now 27, won the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. This marked his first victory of the season and the fourth win of his Formula One career. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished second, while Russell’s rookie Mercedes teammate, 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli, earned his first podium by finishing third.
Russell and Verstappen secured the front row in Saturday’s qualifying session. Antonelli started fourth, behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who finished the race in fourth place. Lewis Hamilton, driving a Ferrari for the first time at the Montreal circuit, finished fifth. Antonelli took Hamilton’s previous seat at Mercedes after Hamilton moved to Ferrari this season.
Russell reflected on the significance of winning on Father’s Day during the post-race press conference. He said his father spent the day at a go-kart track in Britain with Russell’s 8-year-old nephew, beginning the third generation of their family in motorsport. After a six-hour drive, his family watched the race together, making the victory especially meaningful.
Unlike Russell, Verstappen and Antonelli both come from families with motorsport backgrounds. Verstappen is the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen and go-kart racer Sophie Kumpen. Antonelli’s father, Marco Antonelli, was a competitive driver and now owns AKM Motorsport, the team that supported Kimi’s early racing career.
Not all fathers had a happy day at the Canadian Grand Prix. Billionaire Lawrence Stroll, owner of the Aston Martin team, saw his son Lance finish 17th after starting 18th in front of the hometown crowd in Montreal.
McLaren also faced disappointment after teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri collided on lap 67 while battling for position. The crash forced Norris to retire and brought out the safety car for the final three laps, dampening the race’s finish.
Piastri remains the leader in the driver standings with 198 points, followed by Norris with 176 points. Verstappen and Russell have tightened the competition with 155 and 136 points respectively. McLaren leads the team standings with 374 points, ahead of Mercedes with 199 and Ferrari with 183.
Russell said he felt proud of his performance and the team’s effort, especially after narrowly missing victory at last year’s Canadian Grand Prix despite starting from pole position. He also noted that his contract situation for next season remains unresolved but hopes that winning this race strengthens his case to stay with Mercedes, who currently pays him about US$15 million per year.
Reflecting on his father’s early sacrifice, Russell told F1.com that his family could have lived comfortably without the financial risk his father took. “I have paid back everything he spent on me,” Russell said. “It was about US$2 million. As soon as I started earning money, I wanted to clear that debt.”
