George Russell secured a surprise third-place finish in a dramatic Australian GP, but the Mercedes driver admits McLaren is the team to beat.
George Russell played the waiting game in Australia, but the Mercedes F1 driver made the most of a chaotic finish in the Grand Prix. A late downpour shook things up, allowing him to secure a third-place finish—something his team hadn’t expected—behind Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, his teammate Kimi Antonelli put in an impressive performance to finish fifth.
“It was a great way to take third place. Congrats to Lando—leading a race like that in those conditions is a nightmare. And hats off to Kimi for fighting his way back in his first race. It wasn’t our strongest performance, but it’s still a solid result,” Russell reflected.
“It was fun, I enjoyed it. I was hoping the two guys ahead would make a mistake so I could get through, but it was tricky out there. Max pulled away quickly, and for me, the priority was just making it to the finish.”
Like Verstappen, Russell sees McLaren as the benchmark early in the season:
“Absolutely, it was a great weekend overall. McLaren is clearly ahead, but we had a solid race. This is exactly what F1 should be—exciting, unpredictable. Hopefully, the fans enjoyed it as much as we did.”
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Russell Snags P3 in Wild Aussie GP, but McLaren Sets the Pace Russell Snags P3 in Wild Aussie GP, but McLaren Sets the Pace
