GEORGE RUSSELL will not rest until he becomes world champion.

And he has Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane in his corner — who both know a thing or two about goals.

Russell is a friend of Jude Bellingham, who gifted him a bespoke ‘George 63’ Real Madrid shirt

The 27-year-old from Kings Lynn has never been one to be daunted by big reputations.

Russell is back in Bahrain this weekend — scene of his sensational 2020 Mercedes debut as a stand-in for Lewis Hamilton, where he was only denied victory by a pit-stop blunder and a slow puncture.

Handed a permanent drive by the team in 2022, he went wheel-to-wheel with ­seven-time world champ Hamilton during their three years as team-mates.

And he told Max Verstappen to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine after the pair were hauled before stewards following a feisty Qatar Grand Prix in December.

Having done the hard miles with a struggling Williams team before making his mark alongside Hamilton, Russell now has the biggest opportunity of his career as he leads the iconic Mercedes team.

There is still a feeling he remains in the shadow of fellow Brits Hamilton, now fulfilling his ambition of driving for Ferrari, and Lando Norris, this season’s F 1 world championship leader after four races.

But Russell told SunSport: “I’m not underestimated by the people that know me in this paddock.

“The paddock knows what I’m capable of and that’s why I remind myself of my very first race with Mercedes five years ago.

“I have been team-mates with the greatest of all time for three years.

“And my stats speak for themselves, so I don’t think anybody in the sport should underestimate me.”

Wolves fan Russell has taken inspiration from his friendships with England football heroes Bellingham and Kane.

Bellingham gifted the driver with a bespoke ‘George 63’ Real Madrid shirt, marking his car number, earlier this year.

Russell said: “I’ve met Harry, I did some work with one of his charities.

“I always keep up to date with the Bayern Munich scores and his personal stats — and I’m desperate for them to win the league.

“Me and Bellingham started to get to know each other recently.

“He’s a great guy, we have an ­adidas connection and I’ve promised to get him to a race this year.”

While Kane and Bellingham hope to land England’s first trophy since 1966 after a string of near misses, Russell will not rest until he has secured Formula One’s ultimate honour.

Asked if he is satisfied with his progress since his Mercedes drive, he admitted: “Yes and no because I want to be a world champion, I want to be fighting every year.

“But it would be irrational of me to say I’m not where I want to be, because in these past five years I could not have fought for a world championship.

Carmen hails from Jerez in southern Spain

“I didn’t have the machinery to do that, the same way as Lando for two years did not have the machinery and now he does.”

Russell keeps his circle small but his rock is his fashion influencer girlfriend Carmen Montero Mundt, who has been with him every step of the way for the past five years.

Montero Mundt, 26, who hails from Jerez in southern Spain — where Russell raced many times in his younger years — was supposed to meet a friend of his for a date in London in 2020.

Russell revealed: “My mate couldn’t make it, so I thought I’ll swing along to see how it goes.

“She told me she’s from the south of Spain and she wouldn’t ever expect someone to know the small place she’s from.

“I knew exactly where she was from, so it was quite coincidental.”

Montero Mundt attends nearly every race with Russell and was by his side when he was left hyper-ventilating after overheating in the Singapore Grand Prix last year.

Russell lost NINE POUNDS in the extreme heat conditions during the race and had to recover in an ice bath afterwards.

He added: “I’m so fortunate with Carmen because we met before the craziness of F 1. We met organically and it wasn’t a set up.

“She didn’t know who I was, she didn’t know F 1 and wasn’t even bothered by any of that. She is a very down-to-earth individual and we share values.

“She’s such a hard worker, wants to achieve so much and she really recognises what it takes in my position to be at this level.

“Having her on this journey means an awful lot to me because even though we are living our dream it can be a lonely lifestyle.

“Having somebody to help you disconnect from that actually brings performance as well.”

Russell is out of contract at the end of the season but is in no rush to put pen to paper on a new deal.

He said: “I know that I’m going to be in this sport next year and I only want to focus on the performance.

“If a driver starts stressing about his contract it shows they may not have the confidence in their ability.

“I’m certain I have no concerns about my contract situation.”

Russell is going about his business impressively enough this season.

He trails third-place Oscar Piastri by just four points in the standings and could do with another big drive in Bahrain to close in on the top-two of Norris and Verstappen.

And in a season which is already shaping up to be the most open for years, there is every reason to think Russell can fulfil his world title dream.