Making the podium at the opening races of the 2025 F1 season, George Russell is optimistic about Mercedes’ trajectory this year ahead of the F1 Japanese GP. Still, he admits that McLaren’s current form makes them the team to beat.
It’s early days, but Russell has helped lift Mercedes to second in the Constructors’ Championship. The team are behind McLaren, but importantly, ahead of Red Bull.
Mercedes’ surprising start to 2025
The first two races have been much more positive than Mercedes might have expected after their struggles last year, although he suspects more is to come from Ferrari.
George Russell has stood on the podium for Mercedes F1 in both China and Australia thus far, placing P3 in both. He was a solid P4 in the Chinese Sprint.
“Obviously the first two races have been great – two podiums – and we couldn’t really have hoped for much more,” Russell said.
“I think we also have to be realistic.
“We are only two races into a long season and I don’t think probably Ferrari and maybe Red Bull have maximised their potential as yet.
“We don’t want to get carried away thinking this is possible week in, week out.
“But we definitely know that if we do the best job to our own abilities, we’ll be there in the mix.”
The W16’s qualifying performance has been strong, but more surprisingly, their race pace in China marked them as clear best of the rest behind McLaren.
“Yeah, I think it has (surprised us),” Russell admitted about their race pace.
“We know in qualifying we’ve always been pretty strong.
“But I think it was quite refreshing in China to see that our race pace was also pretty decent and we were the second fastest team in China.”
Last year, Russell finished in P7 at the Japanese GP, making contact with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren after a late move. Mercedes looked lethargic at Suzuka in 2024 as they were the fourth fastest team on the Sunday.
“There were a lot of positives to take away. Japan, which was probably one of our worst races last year, (will be) quite an interesting test to see if we’ve improved the car compared to this time 12 months ago.”
The challenge from McLaren
While Mercedes have improved, George Russell was honest about McLaren’s current advantage this F1 season.
“The McLarens are exceptionally strong, and I think it’s going to be challenging for anybody else to compete with them.”
He pointed out that McLaren’s performance in Melbourne was ominous for the future of the season.
“What we saw in Melbourne and in Bahrain testing was pretty exceptional.
“In Melbourne, it was more normal, but if that’s their worst race, it’s a bit concerning for the rest of us.”
Despite this, he was quick to note how things change rapidly within F1, as Red Bull lost their dominance as the 2024 season progressed.
“But you know, we saw last year how dominant Red Bull were, and suddenly they weren’t at the end of the season. Things change quickly.
“Let’s hope there’s something similar like that, and we’re the ones who can come forward.”
Support from Toto Wolff and the team
Team principal Toto Wolff has been vocal in his praise of Russell’s performances, despite the driver claiming he pays little attention to external comments.
“I know he’s always got my back to be honest,” he said.
“People like to say things publicly. I don’t read what is said in the press or on social media. I know that he’s always supported me, had my back and believes in me.
“That’s the most important – what is happening internally rather than what is shown to the world. I know that I’ve got everybody’s support. We’re in this all together. We’re all fighting for the same common goal and it’s an exciting moment for us.”
