The Russell vs Verstappen spat isn’t over and that’s good for F1 2025
It was rather unexpected. George Russell, atop the sun-soaked Mercedes hospitality/engineering building in the Abu Dhabi paddock ahead of the 2024 season finale, about to unleash 15 minutes just savaging Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Russell’s agitation even shone through his dark-tinted sunglasses. This clearly wasn’t a path he found comfortable, and there were awkward missteps […]
Mercedes breaks tradition, won’t launch 2025 F1 car at Silverstone
Mercedes has decided not to organise its traditional launch event for its latest Formula 1 car this season, Autosport understands. The new W16, which will be driven by George Russell and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, will first emerge when Mercedes runs a filming day at Bahrain International Circuit on 25 February, with pre-season testing set […]
Ratcliffe’s co-ownership of Mercedes unaffected by Manchester United struggles
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has received plenty of criticism for his running of Manchester United, but it is unlikely to have an impact on his other major investment in sport including his co-ownership of the Mercedes Formula 1 team. Ratcliffe’s involvement in Mercedes first started in early 2020 when his company, Ineos, signed a sponsorship deal […]
Development lag behind fluctuating 2024 F1 form
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin believes the team’s fluctuating form over the 2024 Formula 1 season was a result of it being pegged back in development in trying to recover from a tough start. The Brackley-based squad opted for an entirely new approach with its W15 concept, opting for a more conventional sidepod solution […]
Why Russell thinks his natural driving style suits the current F1 cars well
George Russell believes his “natural driving style has worked well” with the current generation of Formula 1 cars and is another reason behind his excellent qualifying record in 2024. Russell ended the previous campaign with a 24-6 qualifying split against his now former Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton and also finished one place above the seven-time […]
Why Russell ranks his lost Spa F1 win above his 2024 Vegas domination
George Russell reckons his lost 2024 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix victory was a better drive than his Las Vegas domination because of how in the former he held off Lewis Hamilton’s charge. Russell’s mid-race switch to a one-stop strategy meant he cycled to the lead at Spa when his Mercedes team-mate Hamilton had led convincingly […]
Mercedes opens up on the factors that hurt Hamilton with the W15
Mercedes thinks a double whammy of sensitivity to brake locking and snaps of oversteer during qualifying runs were the trigger for the difficulties Lewis Hamilton had in 2024. Hamilton endured a challenging season with the W15 as he especially found himself unable to get as much out of his car in qualifying as team-mate George […]
Why Bottas is not letting the “worst-case scenario” end his F1 career
Valtteri Bottas may be excited about ‘what’s next’ for him in Formula 1, but there is no hiding the disappointment about how a ‘worst-case scenario’ left him on the sidelines. Having had high hopes about what a move to Alfa/Romeo Sauber in 2022 – then under the leadership of Fred Vasseur – could bring him, Bottas was ultimately denied […]
Russell never expected GPDA F1 role to get «so political»
George Russell “never expected to have so much on my hands and for it to be so political” in his Formula 1 role as a Grand Prix Drivers’ Association director. Since the start of the 2021 season, Russell’s third in F1, the Mercedes driver has been a director of the drivers’ body, as he replaced […]