Mercedes: George Russell highlights challenges and Aston Martin threat after Dutch GP practice. George Russell admits Mercedes is not as competitive as desired after FP1 and FP2 at Zandvoort.

Russell: “We’re not as close to the leaders in terms of competitiveness as we’d like”

Back on track

The first day of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend ended with limited satisfaction for George Russell, in a Friday already marked by an error from his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli during FP1. In that session, the British driver managed only seventh place but improved in the afternoon, finishing fourth in FP2.

These performances, at least for now, do not fully match the expectations heading into the Zandvoort weekend, especially after the podium achieved in Hungary before the summer break. “It was fantastic to be back in the car after a couple of weeks off,” Russell explained to the official Formula 1 channel. “The conditions were really challenging for everyone. There was a lot of wind, and this circuit has many 180° corners. So, when it’s windy and gusty, the car is more exposed through these sections compared to other tracks, like Silverstone, where you enter and exit corners differently. In terms of competitiveness, perhaps we’re not as close to the leaders as we’d like. The race pace seems okay, more or less in the usual range.”

Watch out for Aston Martin

Among the top teams, Aston Martin stood out in both sessions. While Lance Stroll finished third in FP1, his teammate Fernando Alonso did even better in FP2, placing second behind Lando Norris. Could the Silverstone-based team be Mercedes’ main rival this weekend? “In the last two races, they have been really surprising,” George Russell said. “Aston Martin went through a very poor run of form, but in Hungary, they were strong and scored a great result. Here, they seem fast. Ferrari looked off the pace today, but I’m sure that could change quickly, and the same goes for Max Verstappen. He had a difficult race in Hungary, but I think that was more an exception. So, as things stand, it looks like a fight with Aston Martin, with Max, and with us, but I’m confident Ferrari will come back.”

The incident with Piastri

Finally, George Russell shared his view on the incident with Oscar Piastri during FP2. Due to a signaling error from the McLaren mechanics, the two drivers narrowly avoided a dangerous and unusual contact in the pit lane, leading to a €5,000 fine for the Woking team. “I think he came back a little too early and then re-entered. It was a shame, but it scared me! When you’re on track, you’re ready for anything, but in the pit lane, you’re going relatively slowly, you relax, and then this happens. I was looking at the screen and thought: ‘Wow!’ It really caught me by surprise!”