Mercedes will be hopeful that their chances in 2025 will be a lot better than the last few years, having slipped behind the pack since the reintroduction of ground-effect cars.
The team’s zero sidepod concept introduced in 2022 proved to be the wrong development direction and led to them needing to make changes to the car midway through 2023.
Mercedes made a breakthrough with their car at the start of last season, when they introduced a front-wing upgrade that dramatically improved their race pace. George Russell would go on to win races in Austria and later in the season at Las Vegas.
Lewis Hamilton also took victories at Silverstone on merit and Spa Francorchamps, although the latter would have been a one-two had Russell not been disqualified for excessive plant wear.
Many would be quick to question whether Mercedes can return to their title challenging ways after such a difficult last few years, but Russell says he has cause to be optimistic about their chances in 2025 when speaking to Sky Sports.
George Russell explains why he is ‘motivated’ for 2025 season
Mercedes race wins last season were on merit, with Russell dominating the pack in both Spa and Vegas on track. Hamilton also had impressive pace during the British GP, which made him unstoppable to Verstappen and Norris.
These performances are what gives Russell the confidence that Mercedes can improve their fortunes and get to a point where they are challenging for titles again.
“I feel ready. Everybody in the team is so motivated. I feel these years have been trial and error,” said Russell.
“But every time we’ve had a chance to win, we’ve won and that’s what gives me the optimism that if we do have the car, we can achieve it. We’re working as hard as we can for it to be this year, but everybody is fully onboard.”
Could George Russell leave Mercedes?
Russell’s future at Mercedes could be one of the main talking points of 2025 as his contract is up for renewal at the end of the year.
Much of whether he stays in the team will depend on how their car performs on track, and whether there is an opportunity to improve his fortunes elsewhere on the grid.
Red Bull’s Christian Horner has previously shown interest in Russell, while the Briton is expected to the the main catalyst for the 2026 driver market.
There is also the Andrea Kimi Antonelli factor to consider as well, as the young Italian might receive more support from Mercedes given he is billed as their next perspective champion.
2025 will be the first time that Mercedes has raced without a world champion in its driver lineup, Russell will be hopeful that he can put an end to that.
