Russell Snags P3 in Wild Aussie GP, but McLaren Sets the Pace

Russell: A ‘Great’ Third Place, but McLaren is ‘Ahead’

16/03/2025

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.”

Russell Grabs Podium Amid Chaos—McLaren Emerges as Top Team

Russell Snags P3 in Wild Aussie GP, but McLaren Sets the Pace Russell Snags P3 in Wild Aussie GP, but McLaren Sets the Pace

Race Center
China Flag
Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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