Russell comments on the podium in Bahrain and looks ahead to the Jeddah weekend, where he expects another fierce competition
An exceptional run of form for George Russell and his Mercedes. In 2025, the British driver has never finished outside the top five, securing three podiums in the Australian, Chinese, and Bahrain Grands Prix. This renewed confidence in his abilities, along with a second-place position in the Constructors’ Championship, reflects the great work done by the Brackley team.
Russell’s words in the press conference
Reflecting on the race in Bahrain, where he finished in second place, Russell expressed satisfaction with the positive signs from the car and the team’s work: “It was a great race, an excellent weekend. It was kind of a confirmation we were looking for from the car, taking it to a completely different track. We had a lot of tire overheating, unlike the more consistent degradation we saw in Suzuka and China. We wanted to see if we had built a more complete car, and clearly, the answer is yes“.
Despite the excitement, the number 63 of Mercedes expects a more challenging weekend in Saudi Arabia, especially considering a possible return of Red Bull to the top positions: “I expect the competition to be tough again this weekend. Red Bull had a less-than-ideal weekend, but I expect them to be fast here, similar to Suzuka, because there are some similarities: high speed and smooth asphalt. On the other hand, we’ll have the softest tire compound, and that’s a positive. It’s something we’ve been looking for a while, so I’m really glad Pirelli introduced it “.
For Russell, the goal remains to fight for the World Championship. However, at the moment, McLaren still seems to have an edge over the competition: ” My aspirations are to fight for the World Championship, and realistically speaking, we don’t have a car to compete with McLaren. They could probably have finished first and second in every race this year, but they’ve left us some opportunities “.
The Briton acknowledges that the podiums achieved so far have also been due to some mistakes from the McLaren duo: “Max and I have probably been on the podium one time too many thanks to some small errors, and we gladly take it, but I don’t think those mistakes will continue for 24 races.”
Photo: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team