Method 1’s floor impact period has not offered glad looking grounds for , and the workforce’s drop in type in comparison with the earlier ruleset is well-documented. Sadly, for , the dramatic shift got here as he made the transfer from to Mercedes.
Russell joined Mercedes in 2022 and within the ensuing years, has grown and developed within the shadow of seven-time world champion . This season, he lastly stepped out into the limelight because the workforce chief – regardless of one other rocky season for the Silver Arrows.
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The 12 months acquired off to a robust begin for Russell, who picked up back-to-back podiums with third in Australia and China to kick off the season strongly. This was adopted in Bahrain, the place the Brit completed second, and Miami the place he picked up one other third place.
His run of top-five finishes got here to an finish at Imola, nevertheless, as Mercedes rolled out new suspension parts that did extra hurt than good. Correlation points hid a flaw within the new parts, which Mercedes used over 4 race weekends together with Monaco – Russell scored his solely end outdoors the highest 10 of the 12 months with eleventh. Nevertheless, the improve wasn’t the only real offender right here, because the Brit was additionally handed a drive-through penalty for passing off monitor.
Russell was in a position to drive his means across the flaw, nevertheless, and took fourth on the following race in Spain earlier than choosing up his first win of the 12 months in Canada – main a double-podium for Mercedes as rookie team-mate completed third.
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“The whole lot went improper” for George Russell in Silverstone
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Photos through Getty Photos
The topsy-turvy nature of Russell’s season rapidly returnedt, and a penalty for an unsafe launch hit his Austrian GP, earlier than poor technique calls in Silverstone noticed the Brit end tenth – a consequence he says got here as a result of “every thing went improper”.
“In our place, in the event you play it protected, you will come residence with a protected consequence,” Russell lamented after the Silverstone race. “After all, that may have in all probability been P4. Standing right here now, do I want I had P4? After all. We needed to be daring, we needed to be courageous. We went for some daring selections and finally it bit us.”
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The second half of the season proved to be extra constant for Russell and Mercedes, which had now ditched its up to date suspension design. After the summer time break, Russell picked up an extra three podiums in addition to a second win of the 12 months in Singapore – the place he certified on pole and led from the road.
The dominance proved to be sudden for Mercedes and Russell, who admitted after the race “if I had been to make a listing of all of the races I believed we may win at this 12 months, this is able to in all probability be proper on the backside”.
Prime three finishes adopted within the US, Brazil and Qatar sprints, which helped Mercedes safe second place within the constructors’ standings. The hassle didn’t all fall on Russell’s shoulders, nevertheless, as team-mate Antonelli racked up 150 factors in his first season – regardless of having his justifiable share of wobbles over his rookie 12 months.
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Russell, nevertheless, confirmed his expertise over the course of 2025 to gather greater than double Antonelli’s tally with 319 factors by the top of the 12 months. He additionally wiped the ground with Antonelli within the qualifying head-to-head, ending 25-5 in grand prix qualifyings.
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