George Russell speaks about a significant change at Mercedes and a 2025 season where past mistakes will not be repeated, thanks also to the work of his new teammate.
At F1 75 Live, the launch event for the new Formula 1 season kicking off at 9:00 PM (Italian time), the first statements from the protagonists of this historic year for the sport have already arrived. During the afternoon, George Russell spoke about the expectations for the Brackley-built car ahead of the new season. In 2025, the 27-year-old Brit will enter a new phase in his career, one as an older brother, during which he will have the opportunity to mentor Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old who will bring the Italian Tricolor back to Formula 1.
The previous Formula 1 season was not one of the best for the Brackley team, despite securing four wins, two victories each for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. As we know, the winter break is the time when teams reflect on what went wrong during the past year, seeking to find the right setup for the upcoming season, with their sights firmly set on championship glory.
Red Bull did this, as Christian Horner recently stated, and Mercedes is no different, having experienced a season full of highs and lows, instability that led them to finish the year in fourth place in the Constructors’ standings with 468 points, behind Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren.
George Russell spoke on this topic when interviewed by the various media present at the launch event at the O2 Arena in London. The young 27-year-old spoke about a “significant change” in the car – whose livery will be revealed tonight – that will hit the track in 2025, discussing the issues Mercedes faced that prevented their car from shining as expected. Russell looks to the future with optimism, talking about the progress made and the meticulous work put in by the mechanics to avoid repeating the mistakes of previous years, promising an exciting season with Mercedes ready to challenge other top teams.
“I think in 2022 there were more problems with the car than initially met the eye. Everything was dominated by porpoising, and we couldn’t differentiate between what was porpoising and what were the real weaknesses of the car. It took us 18 months to solve the porpoising. Then we realized we had an issue with the suspension, we changed the suspension, and that caused a balancing problem. These things take time. When something works, sometimes you don’t exactly know why. Last year we went to Las Vegas and dominated – I’d love to tell you exactly why. We have some theories, but there’s no magic solution saying ‘that’s why we were so strong there’ and ‘that’s why we were weak elsewhere.’ I think that’s true for everyone.” He highlighted the weaknesses Mercedes faced starting from 2022.
The Comparison with McLaren and Antonelli’s Contribution to the 2025 Car Development
Russell also referred to the progress made by reigning champions McLaren. The team led by Andrea Stella has been a prime example of growth in Formula 1, considering how they struggled at the start of the 2023 season before shining as World Champions in 2024.
“McLaren is also a perfect example – I don’t think even they thought they could find the performance they did. I’m more confident this year and with the work we’ve done in the simulator – we have some really excellent simulator drivers putting in a lot of effort, Kimi has been doing an outstanding job. I’m much more confident we won’t fall into the same traps as in previous years.“ Russell continued, also praising his new teammate.
This year, Toto Wolff’s team will face the first season of a new era, a new chapter for Mercedes without seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, and welcoming one of the six new faces we will see on track in 2025, Kimi Antonelli. It will, therefore, be crucial to find the right balance to allow the team to take a step forward compared to the previous edition of the championship.
Photo: Formula 1.