Mercedes’ 2025 F1 Season: Deception Lurks Behind Russell’s Claims

Max Verstappen has racked up four world titles, but Red Bull isn’t having it easy this season. They’re falling behind McLaren and have been locked in battles with Mercedes throughout the year. Now, George Russell says he’s ready to step up and fight for a championship.

Russell started out with Williams before moving to Mercedes in 2022. In a recent chat with Motorsport.com, he made it clear he’s itching for a title shot.

“Yeah, for sure. I’m definitely more hungry than ever just to try and perform,” Russell said.

He’s been waiting a while for his chance.

“I would have hoped by now, seven seasons in, I would have at least had a year of fighting for a championship.”

The British driver admitted things haven’t gone as planned since joining the Silver Arrows.

“When I joined Mercedes, we thought every year would be a championship fight. Unfortunately, it hasn’t turned out that way.”

## Getting real about results

Russell has landed on the podium six times this year, but he’s refreshingly honest about those achievements.

“I had four podiums in the first six, but probably only two of them were truly deserved, I would say.”

He broke down his season’s highlights with candid assessment.

“Obviously, Melbourne was Piastri going off. In Miami, we had the VSC playing into our hands.”

The races he feels proudest of tell a different story.

“Then the China P3 was a fair result and Bahrain was a great result. That was the best race of the year, probably, except Canada.”