Behind a McLaren benchmark, in second place in the constructors’ standings is the team that has perhaps flown under the radar the most in the early part of this season, far from the spotlight of the major stories of the start of 2025. From the internal battle within McLaren, Ferrari’s ups and downs, to Max Verstappen having to deal with an enigmatic Red Bull, Mercedes has instead capitalized on the opportunities.
Russell has been the constant who has best taken advantage of certain situations, securing two podiums. Certainly, his third-place finish in Australia was aided by Oscar Piastri’s mistake, who had been consistently on the podium up until that point, but it follows the pattern seen last year: being in the right place at the right time.
Of course, this concept is mixed with a healthy dose of reality. Mercedes doesn’t have a car to consistently challenge McLaren, even in terms of pure performance, but it is in the mix with Red Bull and Ferrari for the title of second-best team when others fail to maximize their potential.
An aspect Russell himself is aware of. Ferrari has shown it has a car that, if placed in the right conditions, can deliver results, but one must accept some compromises that penalize performance. Red Bull in China suffered from a slow first stint due to tire degradation concerns, only to shine in the final part of the race when it was too late.
“Obviously, the first two races have been fantastic – two podiums – and we couldn’t have hoped for more. But we also need to be realistic. It’s only two races into a long season, and I don’t believe Ferrari and Red Bull have maximized their potential yet,” the English driver said in the press conference ahead of the Japanese GP.
“So we don’t want to get carried away with the thought that this is possible every race. But we certainly know that if we do the best job based on our abilities, we will be among the frontrunners.”
Over the winter, Mercedes worked hard to try to expand the operating window of the W16, though it is still a bit too dependent on conditions, as seen in China, when Russell suddenly moved up to the front row just by changing the way he prepared the tires for the final attempt. While it’s true that the small gaps make it even more crucial to extract every last bit of performance, on the other hand, the Silver Arrow still struggles with these “mood swings.”
This was also evident in Australia, when on Friday, the W16 suffered terribly from tire overheating in qualifying simulations, although overnight changes helped with temperature management. Much was expected from this car, and although it didn’t attract much attention, Russell has actually been surprised by its competitiveness.
“I think so [it surprised me]. I believe in China it was quite nice to see that our race pace was also quite competitive, and we were the second-fastest team in Shanghai. There were many positive aspects to consider.”
Now, however, a much more complex challenge awaits compared to China and Australia, two tracks with very smooth asphalt. Last year in Japan, Mercedes clearly showed its difficulties with managing bouncing, which also returned in the second half of the season.
On a track that focuses on cornering support and stability in fast sequences, Mercedes must prove not only that it has found stability but also that it has finally managed to achieve the downforce it couldn’t extract in 2024 due to those bouncing issues.
Super Formula drivers have admitted that Suzuka’s new asphalt seems to be more uneven than before, and this could also affect teams that generally run too stiff, such as Mercedes last year, which struggled on very bumpy tracks, having to raise the car or suddenly losing downforce. For this reason, according to George Russell, Suzuka could be the ultimate test for Mercedes to understand where the car stands compared to a year ago. Of course, it’s not just one Grand Prix that defines the season, but it can still provide important data on which areas need improvement.
“We’re going to Japan, which was probably one of our worst races last year, so it will be an interesting test to see if we’ve improved the car compared to 12 months ago,” said George Russell.
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