George Russell has sounded the alarm on Mercedes' 2025 Formula 1 campaign, and admits that underlying problems in the performance of the car can derail the team to compete at the front if the season starts its warmer phase. The British driver underwent his most overwhelming Grand Prix of the season in Imola and finished seventh after he started the third on the schedule – a result that made him visibly frustrated and was looking for answers.
In conversation with Sky Sports F1 after the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Russell was not surprised by the direction of the development of Mercedes. “The trends are pretty clear. If it's hot, we're slow. When it's cold, we'll be fast. That was the same last year,” he said, referring to the recurring battle that Mercedes confronted with two consecutive campaigns.
Despite the fact that Mercedes introduced a upgraded front -wheel suspension and a new front wing at Imola – parts that had increased hope in the garage – the car fell again when the rail temperatures rose. Although the disappointing result of Russell was partially formed by an unfortunate virtual Safety Car-Timing and a questionable strategic call, the core issue lies, he said, deeper than the circumstances of the racing days.
“We did everything with the setup to try to find solutions, but there is clearly a little more fundamental in the car,” he acknowledged.
Russell is currently fourth in the classification of the drivers, 47 points on drift from championship leader Oscar Piastri. While the Mercedes driver has succeeded in beating the true performance of the car so far, with four podiums in the first six rounds, the limitations became grim in Imola.
“It is not the first race this season in which we have been slower than Ferrari, or even on the same footing with Williams,” Russell admitted. “We have somehow succeeded in getting a result on these occasions. But today we were very lucky to finish P7 in all honesty.”
The second director of Mercedes, Rookie Kimi Antonelli, also forced a disappointing home debut, to withdraw with a gas issue. But with Verstappen without consistent support at Red Bull and Ferrari staggering in recent races, Mercedes remains second in the Constructors Championship.
However, they follow McLaren – now clearly the form team – with a discouraging 132 points.
The assessment of Russell reveals a growing concern within the Brackley-based team about their inability to adapt to different sporage temperatures. The tire performance of the car seems to fluctuate drastically, depending on the circumstances, which following Mercedes' problems from last season, following last season, following the cooler races, but the pace lost in the summer heat.
The 2025 car, which is expected to be an important evolution, still seems to continue the same inconsistency.
“I would not say that we no longer have any ideas to resolve the tires,” Russell noted, “but as I said, it's a bit baked in the car.” Parallels with Ferrari's own struggles in the past, he pointed out how the scuderia had gone of a car that excelled in qualifying to one that now performs better in Race – Trim – albeit without fully understanding the change. “We have to find a better compromise, especially for the next race,” Russell insisted. “We are approaching the summer, and it is not really good for us. We have to think quickly.”
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article
