George Russell has finished on the podium at each of the first two Formula 1 races of the season and has been leading the Mercedes team as expected so far.
The Brit dons more responsibility this year after Lewis Hamilton’s departure from the team. Mercedes’ hopes now rest on his shoulders.
Russell has the experience now and is ready to be a dark horse candidate for the drivers’ championship in 2025.
There won’t be too much focus on development with the 2026 F1 regulations around the corner, but he has a good foundation to compete with this season. With some consistency, he could be in the fight.
Martin Brundle said ‘wow’ after spotting Russell’s onboard at the Chinese Grand Prix, where the Brit qualified on the front row with some incredible commitment during qualifying.
Russell also congratulated Hamilton on his first Ferrari win after the sprint race, showing some cheer for his ex-colleague.
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George Russell proved he’s one of F1’s best with clever Chinese Grand Prix strategy
Although the one-stop strategy proved a lot easier than anticipated, one of the first drivers to predict that it would be possible was Russell.
He made the call over the radio on lap 14 that the race could be done on just two sets of tyres, telling his team:
“I think it’s going to go one-stop. Keep it sending, front left is clearing up.”
42 laps later, he was proved right and nearly managed to pip Lando Norris to second place after lake brake issues plagued the McLaren.
Jan Lammers predicted Russell would face ‘problems’ against Kimi Antonelli but he has only proven why he deserves a big contract extension so far, with his deal set to expire at the end of the year.
There may be other teams eager to table an offer to the Brit now. Red Bull may need a driver given their current situation, but Toto Wolff will be eager to keep Russell around.
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George Russell admits Chinese Grand Prix strategy was ‘easier’ than expected
After nearly successfully undercutting Lando Norris’ McLaren, Russell held a sensible gap to the papaya cars throughout the race.
With Norris’ brake pedal growing longer at the end, another lap would have seen the 27-year-old achieve his best finish since last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Speaking after the race, he mentioned that he didn’t expect one-stopping to be so easy in the hot and muggy conditions of Shanghai.
“I felt it from quite early on that a one-stop could be possible and it turned out to be slightly easier than we probably all anticipated, but nevertheless, the car has been great this weekend,” he mentioned on Sky Sports F1’s broadcast.
He now has two weeks to rest and prepare for the Japanese Grand Prix, where he could close the gap to championship leader Norris with a good showing. He’s only nine points behind after two races.
