Undoubtedly the best car on the grid, on the eve of the Jeddah GP, the British driver spoke candidly about the Woking-based team. Here’s what George Russell had to say about McLaren
The absolute frontrunner. The start of the 2025 season has told a clear and compelling story: McLaren is ahead of the pack—always and everywhere. No matter the circuit type (and apparently regardless of weather conditions too, as seen in the rain-soaked Melbourne race), the team led by Andrea Stella and Zak Brown is excelling. Their dominance is backed by hard facts: three wins in four races, including a one-two finish in China.
Ahead of the fifth race of the year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, there’s a cautious sense of optimism among the chasing teams hoping to end McLaren’s, if not total, then certainly visible dominance. With Max Verstappen—the perennial rival of the Papaya squad—partially sidelined due to the underperforming RB21, it’s George Russell who will lead the charge against Woking.
Russell’s frank assessment: “No contest until Spain…”
The Mercedes W16 driver, speaking at the traditional pre-weekend press conference, began by commenting on the Silver Arrows’ current form:”We’re currently 40 points behind McLaren in the championship—likely more due to their own mistakes than anything else. One could argue their car was capable of securing 1-2 finishes at every race so far. Max has taken one win, we’ve secured a second place, and we’re still in the fight. But I don’t think these small errors will continue over the course of 24 races.” “.
Despite his slightly pessimistic realism, Russell acknowledged:”We all expected McLaren to make a major leap forward—and they’ve clearly proven themselves competitive. So for us to finish ahead of a McLaren is a significant achievement. That said, I still believe it’s very close between us, Ferrari, and Red Bull. Ferrari’s middle stint was exceptionally strong, and had they not gone with the hard tyre, we might have been battling closely with Charles. Red Bull had a tough weekend, but I expect them to bounce back to their usual level this time.” “.
His thoughts on how long McLaren’s dominance will last:
“It’s clear McLaren has nailed this aspect, so I don’t see the current hierarchy changing until Spain”. That’s not a throwaway comment—because the Spanish Grand Prix, the ninth race of the season, will see the introduction of a new technical directive aimed at significantly reducing wing flexibility. Many believe this could impact the MCL39’s performance. Time will tell.
Photo: McLaren, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team
