Why Mercedes driver George Russell is also counting on McLaren in 2025 and why he is not making a specific prediction for his own Formula One team
When asked who the team to beat would be in the 2025 Formula One season, Mercedes driver George Russell is quick to answer: “With the dominance that McLaren showed in the second half of the 2024 season, they are undoubtedly the favorites for the world title,” said Russell at the Formula One show in London.
McLaren not only impressed with good speed last year, but was also consistent. “And even when other teams had strong weekends, McLaren was always in the mix,” emphasizes Russell.
But the conditions in 2025 will be different from those in 2024: due to the extensive rule changes for 2026, the question of priorities in technical development will be more important than ever: So what should a racing team focus on – the current year or the coming era?
How important further development really is
Russell’s thesis on this is: “In 2025, the winner will probably be the one who is constantly developing. But then you pay the price for it in 2026. So I could imagine: You’re more likely to stay on the ball when it comes to development if things are tight right at the start of the season.”
But that alone doesn’t necessarily mean anything. After all, Mercedes showed in 2021 that even when development was actually stopped, a lot was still possible. In the thrilling World Championship battle between Max Verstappen in the Red Bull and Hamilton in the Mercedes, the Mercedes team managed to “achieve significant improvements by fine-tuning the car and set-up,” said Russell.
Postscript: “It should be generally closer this year, as it is the last year under the current rules. But I expect McLaren to be at the front.”
Accordingly, Russell sees his own team Mercedes as no more than the second-strongest contender. But Russell does not comment specifically on where exactly he thinks the Silver Arrows stand.
He just says: “We can’t put our own expectations into words, because the car could get faster after each race. It could be fast, but not fast enough to win. That’s why we have to adjust our expectations from race to race.”
No more missed opportunities
Above all, however, in 2025 Mercedes must maintain its speed over the entire race distance. Looking back at the 2024 season, Russell criticizes the fact that “we led a total of seven races, but only won twice. We certainly missed a few chances there. My impression is that we could have won more.”
That’s why Russell wants to ‘maximize every single result – regardless of the position’ this year, he explains. What he means by that is that if the Mercedes form on race day only allows for a third place at best, then that’s what it has to be.
