ValtteriBottasCadillac vs GeorgeRussellMercedes
RUS leads the grade duel 9–4 — across the 13 rounds both were rated in, the car stripped out of the equation.
Valtteri Bottas vs George Russell: who is driving better in 2026?
the verdict, from the numbersValtteri Bottas drives for Cadillac, George Russell for Mercedes, so the raw results are not comparable — everything below has car performance taken out of it. George Russell leads on The Index, 7.60 to 6.86 — P13 against P19, a gap of 0.74 of a grade point. Round by round, George Russell has out-driven the other in 9 of 13 races where both were graded. Valtteri Bottas's clearest advantage is Expected Position — 7.16 against 6.29. George Russell takes Cleanliness back the other way, 9.65 to 7.36. In the DriverIndex Championship — the same season paid on the official points scale, but on driver merit — George Russell sits P15 on 28 points to Valtteri Bottas's P19 on 19. Officially they stand P3 and P21.