George Russell misses out on a podium for the first time in the 2025 season, although the cool temperatures in Suzuka suit Mercedes – what does that mean for Bahrain?
George Russell has made it onto the podium twice this season, but the Mercedes driver’s streak came to an end on Sunday in Japan: the Briton, who was unable to find a way past Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, crossed the finish line 1.2 seconds behind the Monegasque driver.
“In my opinion, we couldn’t have achieved a better result in the first two races. Today, fourth place would have been fair, but we finished fifth,” explains Russell, referring to Mercedes’ slightly better pace than Ferrari.
However, There was simply no way to overtake – a problem that Russell, however, certainly did not have exclusively, as the only place swap between Isack Hadjar and Lewis Hamilton in Suzuka was within the top 10. After getting out of the car, the Briton talks to his former Silver Arrow teammate about exactly this topic and, with regard to overtaking, says a little later at the Sky microphone: “That was really difficult.”
“For the last two weekends, you could easily get through with a one-stop strategy. And if the asphalt is going to be resurfaced, Pirelli needs to bring softer tires,” demands Russell: ‘Otherwise, the hard tire will last forever.’ The result: ”We pushed so hard, but it was just impossible to overtake.”
The Mercedes star admits: “I don’t think I would have had the pace of the top three. But I was driving exactly the same speed as Charles – and still I couldn’t get past.” In other words, after Mercedes was apparently the second-strongest force in China, it fell behind the Red Bull of winner Verstappen in Suzuka – but despite the defeat to Ferrari due to the poorer starting position, it didn’t necessarily fall behind the reds…
Russell: McLaren has not yet shown everything
Alone: With regard to the top, Russell fears that Mercedes’ gap will tend to increase at the upcoming race weekends. The reason: “I don’t think McLaren has shown everything yet. The first three races were all quite cool – we’re all wearing jackets here, and it was fresh last week too,” the Briton says, looking at the weather.
“When we race in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia at 35 degrees, they will probably be really strong,” fears Russell, who also remembers the more recent past with regard to his own team: ”We, on the other hand, have traditionally been better in cooler conditions.” Like Russell’s victory in the cold night race in Las Vegas last November, for example. “That’s why I’m keeping my feet on the ground,” he concludes that Mercedes might have to tighten its belt a little at short notice.
“It was a good start, but with 21 races still to go, it’s still early in the season,” says Russell, who is not willing to make any predictions – but he is pleased with his own development: ”I don’t think I’ve been particularly consistent myself in recent years, and that’s exactly what I wanted to work on: fewer fluctuations, more stability. So far, the start to the year has been solid, and I’m happy with that.”
