George Russell started the Japanese Grand Prix weekend very well, with the Briton being the first to chase down the McLarens.
George Russell confirms the excellent form with which he started the 2025 season. The British Mercedes driver finished third in the first free practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix, while in the second session, he had to settle for sixth position, showing, for those few minutes, a very strong and, above all, consistent race pace.
In the usual media briefing at the end of the second free practice session, George commented on his Friday: ì: “First of all, it’s a relief to see that Jack is okay after the bad crash. It was a very violent impact, and I hope he can get back in the car tomorrow morning. As for our day, it was positive. The car showed good behavior, even though we know that the wind change expected for tomorrow could affect performance. McLaren still looks very strong, and several other teams are competitive in single-lap pace. It’s unusual to see such a tight group, so we’ll have to push hard to stay close to the front. If we manage to put everything together, I’m confident we can fight for the first two rows in qualifying.”
Russell then added: “The interruption of the second session left some uncertainties ahead of Sunday’s race. We only completed four laps on the Hard tires, so we have limited data on the degradation and potential graining of that compound. Moreover, the rain could further mix things up during the race. However, the most important aspect of this Friday is that we were competitive, and that gives us a good foundation to work from for the rest of the weekend.”
Photo: X Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
