Russell: Mercedes "getting slower" during F1 rounds instead of rivals improving
George Russell had a strong performance in FP2 at the Jeddah street circuit, but ultimately qualified in seventh place and finished the 50-lap race in sixth, gaining only one position. He attributed the drop in performance to Mercedes “getting slower” across the sessions, rather than other teams improving. Russell emphasized the need to understand why their pace was falling away during race weekends, despite showing strong performance at certain points. He acknowledged the tight competition with McLaren, Aston Martin, and Ferrari, and highlighted the complexities of modern Formula 1 cars and tires as contributing factors to their performance challenges. Russell finished the Saudi Arabian race nearly 40 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen, with Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc completing the podium. Despite the challenges, Russell believed that the field remains closely competitive behind Red Bull as the clear pacesetter.
