MIAMI — What will be one of the most fascinating driver media sessions to take place this humid Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium?
Delivered by Mercedes driver George Russell.
Late in the afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium, when many members of the media were looking for shade and hydration more than anything else, Russell sat down in a chair in front of the assembled media, grabbed a microphone, and talked about his current teammates and his future. He addressed players who could become his teammates. , and dominance in F1.
At the beginning of the session Russell spoke about Mercedes’ slow start and how the team will fare heading into this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. “I think we learned a lot from the past races, and having done some extreme options between races, I think we’re in a much better position now,” Russell told the media. SB Nation.
“We know where the car is going and I think that’s for the best. We just need to fine-tune it and build on that. It’s a better foundation. So this weekend , we’ve made some small updates to the car. I think some teams have made updates, so who knows if there will be any changes in the standings,” Russell continued. “But I think we’re all fine.”
The discussion turned to Mercedes’ future. As is well documented, Russell’s current teammate Lewis Hamilton is set to head to Ferrari in 2025. This leaves Mercedes’ spot, one of the most coveted seats in the sport, for next season.
Named after that seat? None other than Max Verstappen.
Will Russell welcome Verstappen as a teammate?
“We’ve made it clear that everyone is welcome,” Russell said. “Do you think we have a chance to sign a player like Max? Any team would go for it. And like I said before, I would love to have a chance to play against Max.”
Russell then compared driving alongside Verstappen to the current situation.
“I’m honored to have had the opportunity to be team-mates with Lewis. He’s still statistically the best driver of all time,” Russell added. “To do that [again with] Personally, I think someone like Max is great for me. Because I believe in myself. In my ability. ”
Mercedes also has another talented driver on the list, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The 17-year-old driver has taken part in test sessions for Mercedes this season while competing in F2, and has been mentioned as an option for the team from 2025. F1TV Regarding having Antonelli as his teammate next year, Russell said he is impressed with the young driver.
“There’s no doubt he’ll be in a Mercedes at some point in the future,” Russell said. “Time will tell, but he’s a great driver and won everything in his junior career.
“So there’s no reason not to see him in F1.”
F1 has seen an explosive increase in new fans in recent years.
But those fans have reached an era where Verstappen and Red Bull dominate. Verstappen has won the Drivers’ Championship three years in a row, and given his start to this season, he definitely looks on course for a fourth Drivers’ Championship. Red Bull are also aiming to win a new constructors’ title for themselves.
From Russell’s point of view, dominance is part of life in F1.
“If you join a team like Mercedes, we’re all here to win. But it’s the same with Ferrari. It’s the same with McLaren,” Russell said. The same was true for Red Bull during the Mercedes-dominated era.
“And unfortunately, this is F1. I think it’s fair to say you always look at the advantage. If you look 30 years ago, Williams had the advantage. McLaren had the advantage. But then Ferrari had the advantage,” continued the Mercedes driver. “Then we have Red Bull, and then we have Mercedes. So we think that with the changes to the regulations and cost caps for the winter season, we will see even closer cooperation in this area.”
As for this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Russell is optimistic that the team has learned more about the W15 and believes some upgrades could help it move up the standings. He also outlined how other teams are seeing dramatic improvements through upgrade packages, and said that perhaps Mercedes could start doing something similar this weekend.
“I think there are other examples that show that if you upgrade the car and get it into that sweet spot, you can get a lot of performance,” Russell said. “We saw it with Aston Martin in the winter of 2022. We experienced it last year with McLaren, so we have to keep believing that we can make a jump like that.”
“But we are also being realistic,” Russell cautioned. “We know it won’t take long to get that swing going as we battle these four teams every week. Now, we’re introducing some upgrades to this weekend’s race. With McLaren I think each Aston Martin had its own characteristics. [upgrades] last week. That’s why everyone is improving their cars. But they often improve at the same rate.
“And that’s the challenge.”
Russell and the rest of Mercedes will take on the challenge for the first time in a single practice session on Friday before qualifying for the F1 sprint race here at the Miami Grand Prix.
