In a chaotic 2025 Australian Grand Prix, George Russell demonstrated his strong grasp on race strategy, securing a podium finish for Mercedes in a race that hinged on weather-based decision making. His call to switch to intermediate tyres at the right moment proves his growing confidence as he takes on the team leader role at Brackley.
The Albert Park race featured strong McLaren dominance, with Lando Norris driving from pole position to the top of the podium. Max finished behind his good friend, and George Russell rounded off the top three. What started as a relatively straightforward campaign became anything but, as interdispersed rain showers created constantly changing track conditions.
“It was a race of survival, really, in that mid-phase when it was going from inters, and then it started raining more, and then it went on to slicks, and then it started raining again, that was probably the most decisive decision I’ve ever taken in terms of strategy,” Russell said, highlighting his choices.
Pirelli’s pre-race analysis anticipated a one or two-stop strategy in the dry, but this was quickly overturned. as the ever-changing track conditions forced teams to make educated choices. But as we saw from the likes of Ferrari, for example, some of these choices didn’t pay off.
“I came around the corner where Oscar and Lando went off, and I was like, ‘Box, box, box, right now.’ And then you came out of the pits, and the inter tyres were probably six seconds slower in the first two sectors, but then they were probably ten seconds quicker in the last sector, so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen.”
Russell’s proactive decision is an evolution from when he had admitted his frustration with his team’s strategy. The 2024 Sao Paul Grand Prix springs to mind.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“Really amazing conversation and meeting this morning where we all came together,” Russell said on the trust there is between him and his pit wall. “The strategists and all the engineers knew exactly what we needed in each circumstance—when it was getting drier or when it was getting wetter, who would be making the calls, what they needed from me.
“And, you know, it’s no secret that it’s not been our strength in probably the last 18 months, these sorts of challenging races. That’s why I was so keen today to just, you know, kind of bring it home, and we did a great job.”
This has been a strong start to Mercedes’ 2025 campaign with Kimi Antonelli finishing in P4 after his 5-second penalty was overturned after the race end. Russell is sinking nicely into his role within the team after Lewis Hamilton’s exit to Ferrari.
