Russell urges high ambitions as Mercedes targets a win in the Netherlands.
Five podiums, including three victories, in the last six races clearly mark Mercedes F1’s return to top form.
However, on a markedly different track from Spa at Zandvoort this weekend, can Mercedes also target victory?
What is George Russell, the thwarted and disappointed victor of Belgium, aiming for? To cross the finish line first again this weekend?
“We must aim exceptionally high, to be honest, as we have been making significant improvements over recent races. But these last three victories out of four races probably don’t fully reflect the performance.”
“I think McLaren has been performing very well. They were probably slightly more competitive than us at Spa. And, you know, Red Bull is a bit inconsistent at the moment, but you can be sure they’ll be competitive as well. But it reminds me a bit of my junior years in F3, F2, knowing that if you do a good job, a victory is in sight. And if you don’t, you’ll likely be outside the top 5.”
So, it’s McLaren F1 that might have the best car for George Russell. And no longer Red Bull: how can this be explained?
“I don’t necessarily think that Red Bull has taken a step back with the update they brought in. But the evolution we’ve made to our car was a bigger step forward than what we’ve seen in any other team. We’ll see what the next developments bring, and I hope it will be the same.”
“For now, I think McLaren probably still has the best car on the grid. They seem to be consistently competitive at every circuit they go to. The performance fluctuations of Red Bull are quite surprising for all of us. I think no one would have anticipated this after the first four races, myself included.”
“We are optimistic and believe we can achieve more good performances. I’m very excited and motivated to try to win more races, but… You know, for me, the priority is to ensure that we have the best possible car by the end of the season and next year to truly rise to the challenge.”
At the same time, the gap to Ferrari is closing in the constructors’ standings: Mercedes F1 is now just 79 points behind…
“The performances we’ve recently achieved have been very, very strong. But we are not too focused on these points at the moment. We are taking things one step at a time, trying to better understand the car and secure new victories.”
Regarding the drivers’ championship, does George Russell believe Max Verstappen is unassailable at the top?
“Yes, I think there is only one driver at the moment. It’s probably Lando who can challenge Max for the championship. Red Bull, they’ve obviously had an incredible start to the season. But who knows, with the number of races we have, Lewis and I were talking this morning about when he started, I think there were 17 races in the season. There would only have been three races to go from today, and the season would have already been over. So, there are still plenty of opportunities.”
“But personally, I don’t see anyone catching up to Max and Red Bull under normal circumstances. They have an exceptional lead. It’s just that we have been accustomed to a crazy level of dominance these past two years.”
Looking ahead to 2025…
But George Russell isn’t just focusing on this GP or the second half of the season, he’s also looking to next year.
“There are a lot of people at the base who are watching the championship because that’s what we’re fighting for, but it’s no secret that we want to battle for championships. And to achieve that, we simply need to continue evolving this car, continue improving it, continue working hard. And with the stability of the regulations next year, it will just be an evolution of what we’ve seen this year. So, we want to continue this improvement.”
Will Mercedes F1 finally be able to rely on the flat floor tested at Spa in free practice at Zandvoort, despite the initially unpromising data?
“Yes, I’ll be using it in FP1. Lewis will be on the Spa flat floor, but we see no downside. I think we were not competitive on Friday at Spa for various reasons. And that’s the challenge when you bring developments to the car. There are thousands of reasons why you can be competitive or not. It was a factor, but it wasn’t the cause of the lack of performance on Friday. That’s why 99% of us will proceed with the new updates on both cars this weekend.”
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Mercedes Eyes Victory in Dutch GP Amidst Season Surge Mercedes Eyes Victory in Dutch GP Amidst Season Surge
