George Russell admits Mercedes lacks pure pace but says consistency has kept them in the mix during a tightly contested F1 season.
With three podiums in the first five races, George Russell has had a strong start to the 2025 season. Still, the last outing in Saudi Arabia fell short of Mercedes’ recent form.
Speaking ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Russell was asked whether the team’s early-season results matched his expectations.
“Honestly, I think it’s actually better than what we expected before the season began,” he admitted.
“In terms of pace, we’re pretty much where we thought we’d be — a step behind McLaren, and locked in a close fight with Red Bull and Ferrari. We’ve performed well to earn those podiums, but that doesn’t necessarily make us the second-fastest team.”
“On average, I’d say we’re third right now. We saw Charles Leclerc have a great race last week, and obviously Max Verstappen has been dominant in the last two. We’ve just been consistent and picked up points wherever we could.”
That consistency has been a strength, but Jeddah was a rare off weekend. So what went wrong?
“The tires were just way too hot — that was a big issue,” Russell explained. “We probably pushed too hard trying to stay with the front two. Charles had a really strong drive. I think I overdid it a bit, going faster than what the tires and the car could handle, and we paid the price.”
Looking ahead to Miami, Russell expects similar challenges.
“The conditions here are pretty close to what we had in Jeddah — similar heat, similar tire behavior. We’ll have to wait and see if we’ve learned the right lessons. I’m confident in our one-lap pace for qualifying, but race pace is still a question mark.”
- Discover More>FIA Closes Safety Car Loophole After Aussie Mix-Up
- Follow us on >FACEBOOK and >TWITTERfor F1 update
Russell: Mercedes Still Chasing McLaren and Red Bull Russell: Mercedes Still Chasing McLaren and Red Bull