Russell and Hamilton in High Spirits After Free Practice

Mercedes F1 Makes Strong Showing in Zandvoort Practice

23/08/2024

Russell and Hamilton propelled Mercedes F1 to an impressive start at Zandvoort, showcasing their prowess in the free practice sessions.

George Russell expressed his eagerness for the upcoming qualifying rounds as Mercedes F1 appears competitive with McLaren and Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix, while Lando Norris and Max Verstappen both sought performance enhancements following the second free practice session.

Mercedes F1 slightly edged out the competition in Zandvoort’s second practice session, with Russell leading and teammate Lewis Hamilton placing third, sandwiched by Oscar Piastri of McLaren.

With the top 5—including Norris and Verstappen—within less than three-tenths of a second, Russell stated that the W15 is performing well, and he is thrilled about the prospect of vying for pole position in qualifying.

“I’m getting back into the groove. It was really challenging on the track as it was extremely windy, probably the windiest I remember in two years. The car performed really well—I have upgrades that seem to work as expected. It looks like a close battle with McLaren, with Max, but everything could change tomorrow.”

“The first six races, the car wasn’t on pace, but the weather was stable and the race weekends were quite straightforward for everyone. Suddenly, as soon as the car was quick in Canada, at Silverstone, we were faced with all sorts of challenges, but that’s the same for everyone.”

“I’m truly excited to be back in form and I’m looking forward to qualifying, to feel that battle and the excitement that qualifying always brings. I’ve missed it!”

For Lewis Hamilton, there’s a big smile too for this successful return.

“It’s OK today, a good start to the weekend, so different from last year. The car is much more lively and fast, it changes things. We understand it well and manage to start on the right foot with the right settings from the first laps, which clearly makes our life easier.”

“For my best lap, I don’t think I made the most of the soft tyres, but I still have some work to do on the settings. But it’s good to start.”

“It’s hard to predict tomorrow at the moment but we’re in the mix. I have a good direction for qualifying and the race pace. I don’t know if we’ll be playing for the victory but we’re definitely in the top 5.”

Russell and Hamilton in High Spirits After Free Practice

Russell and Hamilton in High Spirits After Free Practice Russell and Hamilton in High Spirits After Free Practice

F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
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Australian
Albert Park
16 Mar
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Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
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Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
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Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
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Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr

2025 Australian Grand Prix Grid

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
1:15.096
Oscar Piastri
2
OSCAR
PIASTRI
1:15.180
Max Verstappen
3
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
1:15.481
George Russell
4
GEORGE
RUSSELL
1:15.546
Yuki Tsunoda
5
YUKI
TSUNODA
1:15.670
Alex Albon
6
ALEX
ALBON
1:15.737
Charles Leclerc
7
CHARLES
LECLERC
1:15.755
Lewis Hamilton
8
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1:15.973
Pierre Gasly
9
PIERRE
GASLY
1:15.980
Carlos Sainz
10
CARLOS
SAINZ
1:16.062
Isack Hadjar
11
ISACK
HADJAR
1:16.175
Fernando Alonso
12
FERNANDO
ALONSO
1:16.453
Lance Stroll
13
LANCE
STROLL
1:16.483
Jack Doohan
14
JACK
DOOHAN
1:16.863
Gabriel Bortoleto
15
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
1:17.520
Kimi Antonelli
16
KIMI
ANTONELLI
1:16.525
Nico Hulkenberg
17
NICO
HULKENBERG
1:16.579
Liam Lawson
18
LIAM
LAWSON
1:17.094
Esteban Ocon
19
ESTEBAN
OCON
1:17.147
Oliver Bearman
20
OLIVER
BEARMAN
000
Race Center
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Australian GP
13 Mar - 16 Mar
FP1
14 MAR 01:30
FP2
14 MAR 05:00
FP3
15 MAR 01:30
QU
15 MAR 05:00
RACE
16 MAR 04:00
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