Mercedes’ Smart Call: How Russell Secured P3 in Chaos

Russell’s No Man’s Land: Beaten by Verstappen & McLaren

George Russell secured a solid P3 in Melbourne, stuck between McLaren and Verstappen’s pace, but smart strategy calls helped Mercedes shine.

Quietly efficient as always, George Russell secured a strong third-place finish all the way from the other side of the world in Melbourne, kicking off his F1 season on the podium.

The Mercedes driver knew he didn’t have the pace to match McLaren or Max Verstappen, but he was still satisfied with his performance, making the most of his opportunities.

“Yeah, honestly, today was all about staying out of trouble. From the start, it was clear that those guys (McLaren and Verstappen) were too quick for us, while we had an edge over Ferrari. So, I found myself in a bit of a no man’s land.”

“Early on, I decided that the best approach was simply to bring the car home. Taking more risks wouldn’t have changed anything, because the leaders were too far ahead. It was a tough race.”

“As Lando said, even the smallest mistake would have been costly. But I’m happy with this result, especially since this track isn’t necessarily one of our strengths. And considering the extreme heat yesterday, I was pleased with fourth place in qualifying too.”

The Right Call at the Right Time

How did Russell and Mercedes manage to time their pit stop so well? What was the process with his race engineer and strategist?

“To be honest, the process started this morning. We had great discussions about how we’d make these calls, what they needed from me, and what I needed from them.”

“I knew the rain would get heavier, so the final decision was mine. Like Lando, I called the pit stop about five seconds in advance, and the team was ready to go. That was a key moment in the race.”

Crisis Management Pays Off

Like McLaren, Mercedes seems to have focused on improving their decision-making in tricky conditions over the winter—and it paid off.

“I’m really happy about that because mixed-condition races—both for Lando and me—haven’t gone our way recently. If you look at Brazil last year, we got the strategy wrong. In Montreal too, we let the race slip away. So today, getting it right and finishing on the podium is a great result.”