George Russell has already drawn a bleak conclusion for Mercedes following the first qualifying session of the year. According to the British driver, no one can beat McLaren, as the British racing team has ‘already pulled such a big gap with the rest’. Russell even believes that McLaren can already fully focus on the challenger of 2026.
Although McLaren was already labeled as the biggest contender for the world title after the test days in Bahrain, the favorite status of the British racing team was truly sealed with the qualification in Melbourne. Pole sitter Lando Norris and P2 Oscar Piastri drove three-tenths faster than any other driver on the grid. Therefore, George Russell is already making a gloomy prediction for Mercedes.
“McLaren has already pulled such a big gap with the rest, they could stop the development (of the MCL39, ed.) and already fully focus on 2026,” Russell says in Melbourne. “It’s hard to bridge that gap.” Russell himself qualified fourth and will start the race next to Max Verstappen tomorrow.
Red Bull’s Decline
According to Russell, there is a stark contrast between McLaren’s current situation and how Red Bull was positioned a season earlier. Back then, it was the Austrian racing team that was the favorite at every race start. “Red Bull started the season (2024, ed.) so far ahead of everyone, but I don’t think other teams eventually caught up with them in terms of development. I think they brought a few things to the car and went backwards.”
