George Russell Concerned About 'Fundamental' Issue In Mercedes' 2025 Car
George Russell has sounded the alarm on Mercedes' 2025 Formula 1 campaign, admitting that underlying issues in the car's performance could derail the team's hopes of competing at the front as the season enters its warmer phase. The British driver endured his most underwhelming Grand Prix of the season at Imola, finishing seventh after starting third on the grid — a result that left him visibly frustrated and searching for answers.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Russell didn't hide his concern about the direction of Mercedes' development. 'The trends are pretty clear. When it's hot, we're slow. When it's cold, we're quick. That was the same last year,' he said, referencing the recurring struggle Mercedes has faced across two consecutive campaigns.
Despite Mercedes introducing upgraded front suspension and a new front wing at Imola — parts that had raised hopes within the garage — the car once again faltered when track temperatures rose. While Russell's disappointing result was partially shaped by an unfortunate Virtual Safety Car timing and a questionable strategic call, the core issue, he said, lies deeper than race-day circumstances.
'We've been doing everything with the setup to try and find solutions, but there's clearly something more fundamental in the car,' he acknowledged.
Russell currently sits fourth in the drivers' standings, 47 points adrift of championship leader Oscar Piastri. While the Mercedes driver has managed to punch above the car's true performance so far, with four podiums in the first six rounds, the limitations became stark at Imola.
'It's not the first race this season where we've been slower than Ferrari, or even on par with Williams,' Russell admitted. 'We've just somehow managed to get a result out of it on those occasions. But today, we were very lucky to finish P7 in all honesty.'
Mercedes' second driver, rookie Kimi Antonelli, had a disappointing home debut as well, forced to retire with a throttle issue. Yet, with Verstappen lacking consistent support at Red Bull and Ferrari also faltering in recent races, Mercedes remains second in the Constructors' Championship.
However, they trail McLaren — now clearly the form team — by a daunting 132 points.
Russell's assessment reveals a growing concern within the Brackley-based squad about their inability to adapt to different track temperatures. The car's tyre performance appears to fluctuate drastically depending on conditions, echoing Mercedes' troubles from last season when they were more competitive in cooler races but lost pace in the summer heat.
The 2025 car, which was expected to be a significant evolution, still seems to carry forward the same inconsistency.
'I wouldn't say we're running out of ideas to solve the tyres,' Russell noted, 'but as I said, it's sort of baked into the car.' Drawing parallels with Ferrari's own past struggles, he pointed out how the Scuderia had gone from a car that excelled in qualifying to one that now performs better in race trim — albeit without fully understanding the change. 'We need to find a better compromise, especially ahead of the next race,' Russell urged. 'We're approaching summer, and it doesn't really bode well for us. We need to think quick.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
8 hours ago
- The Hindu
Duplantis headlines Oslo Diamond League, Warholm eyes 300m hurdles showdown
Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis headlines a star-studded Diamond League meet in Oslo on Thursday, featuring eight other champions from the Paris Olympics. AFP Sport looks at five stand-out events at the sixth meeting of the 15-event Diamond League circuit, where athletes have collectively won more than 15 individual Olympic gold medals and over 20 world championship golds: Women's 100m Julien Alfred made history at the Olympics last summer when she won a first-ever medal for her tiny island homeland of Saint Lucia. File photo: Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia celebrates with her national flag after winning gold in the women's 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympics. | Photo Credit: REUTERS Her personal best of 10.72sec is matched in the Oslo field by 36-year-old Ivorian veteran Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith. But Alfred will likely come under more pressure from the British pair of Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita. Men's 5,000m Oslo's Bislett Stadium is known as a venue where world records are regularly set. When a world-class field lines up for the 5,000m, they'll be chasing what could be the 72nd world record set at the venue since Adriaan Paulen established the first one back in 1924. Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet missed it by just over a second when he clocked 12:36.73 in the Norwegian capital last season. File photo: Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia. | Photo Credit: Getty Images This year, both Gebrhiwet and his compatriots Yomif Kejelcha, who finished second last year in 12:38.95, and Berihu Aregawi, with a personal best of 12:40.45, are all lining up with one goal in mind: breaking Joshua Cheptegei's world record of 12:35.36. Men's 800m If the race over 5km proves to be a mouth-watering clash, also don't rule out the 800m, where meet organisers have brought together what they say is the strongest line-up they've ever assembled. ALSO READ | Priyanka Goswami wins gold in women's 10km race walk at Austrian Championships Kenyan legend David Rudisha holds the stadium record of 1:42.04 from 2010. File photo: Emmanuel Wanyonyi is the reigning Olympic champion in the men's 800m event. | Photo Credit: Getty Images But that could be under threat from compatriot and reigning Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Algeria's Djamel Sedjati and France's Gabriel Tual, respectively second, fifth and sixth fastest ever over the two-lap race. Men's pole vault Duplantis remains head and shoulders above the rest, having bettered his own world record to 6.27m in February on the back of a 2024 season when he not only won Olympic gold but also broke the world record three times. The US-born Swede has also registered the 11 highest jumps in the history of the sport, improving the world record one centimetre at a time from 6.17 to 6.27. He is the undisputed king of the event and was also named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for 2024. Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt is the only track and field athlete to have previously won the award. The world's top eight will compete in Oslo, three of them having cleared the 6m mark, notably Greece's Emmanouil Karalis, who won Olympic silver in Paris and has a personal best of 6.01m and American Sam Kendricks (6.06). Men's 300m hurdles Home favourite Karsten Warholm headlines a sparkling field in the 300m hurdles, an event that was granted official status earlier this year, but is yet to have a ratified world record. The Norwegian clocked a best of 33.05sec in Xiamen this season. File photo: Karsten Warholm of Norway is the world record holder in the men's 400m hurdles. | Photo Credit: AP Warholm, reigning world champion and world record holder in the 400m hurdles, will be up against Bislett debutant Rai Benjamin of the USA, the Olympic champion, and Brazil's Alison dos Santos. The trio's personal bests are the three fastest times ever run in the 400m hurdles. Between them they own the 19 fastest races in the event's history and also won all medals at both the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. Now it's time for crowing rights in the shortened race. 'I believe the introduction of the 300m hurdles can help bring in new athletes now that the long hurdles expand from one to two events,' said Warholm.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
Who is Arvid Lindblad? The 17-year-old phenom Red Bull believes could be F1's next superstar
Arvid Lindblad has quickly emerged as one of Red Bull's most exciting prospects. At just 17, he's already been granted an F1 super licence by the FIA after a special exemption, a move typically reserved for drivers aged 18 and above. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition' earned him that rare nod. Currently shining in Formula 2 with two wins in his debut season, Lindblad also clinched the Formula Regional Oceania title and placed fourth in F3. With his 18th birthday on August 8, F1's next prodigy seems ready for the spotlight. So, who is this Arvid Lindblad? All you need to know about Arvid Lindblad F1 is such a sport that thrives on speed, timing, and relentless drive, Arvid Lindblad is checking all the boxes—before he's even turned 18. The British-Swedish sensation has emerged as one of the brightest young stars in the Red Bull driver pipeline, drawing comparisons to past legends like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen. But while the hype surrounding him continues to grow, Lindblad's journey is anything but manufactured—it's a story of passion, precision, and perseverance that began long before Formula 1 scouts took notice. Lindblad's first taste of motorsport came on two wheels. At just three, he gave motocross a shot but quickly realized it wasn't for him. "When I was three years old, I had a go at motocross but didn't enjoy it, but then at five my dad bought me my first kart,' he recalled. That kart, a modest gift from a motorsport-enthusiast father, changed everything. What followed was an obsession with racing that would define the rest of his childhood. Karting wasn't just a hobby; it was a battlefield where Lindblad discovered his calling. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'The speed and close racing were exhilarating. From this early stage, my passion for karting was ignited and the seed was planted for me to push myself to be the very best I could be.' This fire was further fueled by a father who operated as both mentor and mechanic, insisting on independence and skill over shortcuts. While most prodigies choose between school and sport, Lindblad never settled for less in either. 'I'm extremely determined and motivated to do well academically… I have a great passion for Maths and Science,' he said, underscoring a work ethic that's as sharp in the classroom as it is on the track. Arvid's rise through karting was meteoric. British Champion at 11, WSK Super Master Series winner in OKJ class, and soon after, a coveted spot in the Red Bull Junior Team. After a face-to-face with Helmut Marko in Portimao, his trajectory was set. By 2022, he was making waves in Formula 4, and the following year, he dominated the Macau Grand Prix—securing pole by half a second and cruising to victory on one of the world's toughest street circuits. Red Bull wasted no time, promoting Lindblad to FIA Formula 3 in 2024. He responded with victories in Bahrain, Barcelona, and a home double at Silverstone. Fourth in the standings as a rookie earned him a fast-track ticket to Formula 2 in 2025, where he continued to impress—winning six races in Formula Regional Oceania and clinching a feature race win in Barcelona. Recognizing his maturity and consistency, the FIA granted Red Bull's request for an early Super Licence—weeks before Arvid turned 18. The governing body acknowledged he had 'consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition.' Now serving as a test driver for Racing Bulls, Lindblad got his first taste of F1 machinery at Imola in February 2025, piloting the 2023 AlphaTauri AT04. Whether performing at Red Bull Showruns or racing footballers at Elland Road, one thing is clear—Arvid Lindblad is not just the future; he's ready now. Also Read:
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
Nvidia to build first industrial AI cloud in Germany
Nvidia will build its first artificial intelligence cloud platform for industrial applications in Germany, CEO Jensen Huang said on Wednesday at the VivaTech conference in Paris. The technology, which will combine AI with robotics, will help carmakers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz with processes from simulating product design to managing logistics. In a series of Europe-focused announcements, Huang outlined plans to expand technology centres in seven countries, open up Nvidia's compute marketplace for European companies, help AI model makers in several languages become more advanced, and aid in drug discovery by firms such as Novo Nordisk. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo "In just two years, we will increase the amount of AI computing capacity in Europe by a factor of 10," said Huang, in a nearly two-hour-long presentation in front of a packed audience. "Europe has now awakened to the importance of AI factories and the importance of the AI infrastructure," he said, laying out plans for 20 AI factories - large-scale infrastructure designed for developing, training, and deploying AI models - in Europe. Live Events While Europe has lagged the U.S. and China in developing AI technologies, the European Commission said in March it planned to invest $20 billion to construct four AI factories. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Nvidia is also partnering with European AI champion Mistral to create AI computing that runs on 18,000 of the latest Nvidia chips for European businesses. "Sovereign AI is an imperative - no company, industry, or nation can outsource its intelligence", Huang said. Huang has been trotting the globe to highlight the importance of businesses adopting AI and the dangers of falling behind. On Monday, he said in London that Britain lacked the computing infrastructure to deliver the full potential of its AI research base. Beyond AI, Huang reiterated his view quantum computing technology is at an inflection point. Quantum calculations could crack problems that currently would demand years of processing from Nvidia's most advanced AI systems. Quantum computing will solve "some interesting problems" in the coming years, Huang added. The CEO made similar comments in March at Nvidia's annual software developer conference when he spoke about the potential of quantum computing, walking back comments he made in January when he said useful quantum computers were 20 years away.
