2025 Mercedes-AMG | Petronas F1 Team

[nitrotech]

The delay of the swap screwed them both. He wasn't in a DRS train, he was sat behind Kimi who wasn't in DRS eventually (by which time Russell's tyres had started to go off) and also having to defend from Oscar later on by overheating his tyres to remain in DRS whilst fighting in the dirty air.

1) As long as Russell had DRS, he wasn't getting overtaken. He needed to play the team game and protect the positions. He sold a fairytale to Mercedes and they fell for it hook line and sinker. It's poor of Ron meadows to get hoodwinked like this after the previous seasons.

2) The delay in the swap is nothing because a swap shouldn't have happened to begin with. Russell didn't get closer to Bearman after the swap and Russell didn't make any impression on Bearman when he had new tires again. So Mercedes let Russell call the shots for no purpose at all, except to piss off Kimi and throw points to Piastri. This is what happens when you let the inmates run the asylum.

The funny thing is Russell used to pull these "I'm faster than him, are we racing each other or what?" stunts all the time in the previous seasons, then he would get in front and do nothing because he was destroying his tires to prove he was "faster". Then his former teammate would come back at him with better tires.

That's the story of every driver on the grid. No one is exception. Otherwise, they don't belong in F1. Teams should listen to the driver that is performing well.
It's almost end of season and George has given them 2 victoris and multiple podiums, so he should be listened to. Even in previous years, he did better than Lewis, despite the car being tuned to Lewis' preferences, while having far little experience than Lewis.

Red Bull has given their entire team to Max. Let's talk of inmates running the asylum.

[AR3-GP]

edit: can't be bothered.

[AR3-GP]

Ferrari is now 1 point ahead of Mercedes in the WCC.

[nitrotech]

That's the story of every driver on the grid. No one is exception. Otherwise, they don't belong in F1. Teams should listen to the driver that is performing well.

Right, so they should listen to the driver that fought to get to P4 on the track, on merit, and not the one phoning in to have it handed to him after going backwards from his P4 starting spot.

It's almost end of season and George has given them 2 victoris and multiple podiums, so he should be listened to. Even in previous years, he did better than Lewis, despite the car being tuned to Lewis' preferences, while having far little experience than Lewis.

Ah right. The 8x WCC team must kiss the feet of the 2x race winner who took them for 30 million a season while trying to escape marketing commitments and make sure he has an easy-out in his contract for 2027... Russell is riding on the empire that Mercedes built, not the other way around. Let's not forget that.

I get it that you don't like George because with a potent car, he will beat Max, like he did in Singapore. We have seen the same sort of comments against George by Lewis fans until last year. Nibody criticises a dummy. Dislike comes when someone is a genuine threat.

[f1isgood]

Russell was simply not good enough. Nothing surprising really.
He can only deliver in the clearly best and dominant car. Something like a Lando or a Oscar. But that's alright. That's most drivers anyways.

This has to be a troll account. His team took 5-6 laps after to swap position to overtake Bearman when he had much more pace vs Kimi. Funny how you wrote this deranged comment without realizing Verstappen couldn't get past Bearman either though he was on the better mediums + has the "theoretical" fastest car.

Why was Russell behind Kimi to begin with?

This discussion isn't about Verstappen and actually on the mediums Mercs looked marginally quicker going by FP2 data.

All of Russell's wins have come in a clearly best car. He often gets what the car should get but nothing more. I will not change my opinion of this matter unless there is actual evidence he is any better than I perceive him to be. People can rate him as the best driver on the grid for all I care. That's their opinion this is mine.

Verstappen and Mediums were always going to be trash if you had paid any attention to the data. And Red Bull are not entirely new to being slower than a Haas at Mexico. They were slower than Magnussen last year as well.

[basti313]

Why was Russell behind Kimi to begin with?

Because he had a tango with Ver and Bea. Nothing wrong with this.

I think the discussion of the switch is also difficult. It always takes time, you need to see if the lead car can overtake or not. Does not make sense to switch on the first 2-3 laps bacause it costs a lot of time. Until that Rus was fuming and his tires were burning...stupid behavior, but the situation is not that clear in my point of view. In hindsight he was right, switch immediately.

All of Russell's wins have come in a clearly best car. He often gets what the car should get but nothing more.

Well, he is a tremendous Nr.2 driver, just like Bottas.
I think this is a bit of an issue in F1 currently and will be super interesting next year. I so much hope for a leveled field. We have teams with two Nr.1 drivers like Ferrari, we have teams with two Nr.2 drivers like McLaren and there is Mercedes, with Ant maybe growing in the next years into the Nr.1. That will be awesome.

[Matt2725]

Why was Russell behind Kimi to begin with?

Because he had a tango with Ver and Bea. Nothing wrong with this.

I think the discussion of the switch is also difficult. It always takes time, you need to see if the lead car can overtake or not. Does not make sense to switch on the first 2-3 laps bacause it costs a lot of time. Until that Rus was fuming and his tires were burning...stupid behavior, but the situation is not that clear in my point of view. In hindsight he was right, switch immediately.

All of Russell's wins have come in a clearly best car. He often gets what the car should get but nothing more.

Well, he is a tremendous Nr.2 driver, just like Bottas.
I think this is a bit of an issue in F1 currently and will be super interesting next year. I so much hope for a leveled field. We have teams with two Nr.1 drivers like Ferrari, we have teams with two Nr.2 drivers like McLaren and there is Mercedes, with Ant maybe growing in the next years into the Nr.1. That will be awesome.

Strange comment. There is zero evidence that Kimi is going to be anything but slower than George by a margin next season.

[basti313]

Why was Russell behind Kimi to begin with?

Because he had a tango with Ver and Bea. Nothing wrong with this.

I think the discussion of the switch is also difficult. It always takes time, you need to see if the lead car can overtake or not. Does not make sense to switch on the first 2-3 laps bacause it costs a lot of time. Until that Rus was fuming and his tires were burning...stupid behavior, but the situation is not that clear in my point of view. In hindsight he was right, switch immediately.

All of Russell's wins have come in a clearly best car. He often gets what the car should get but nothing more.

Well, he is a tremendous Nr.2 driver, just like Bottas.
I think this is a bit of an issue in F1 currently and will be super interesting next year. I so much hope for a leveled field. We have teams with two Nr.1 drivers like Ferrari, we have teams with two Nr.2 drivers like McLaren and there is Mercedes, with Ant maybe growing in the next years into the Nr.1. That will be awesome.

Strange comment. There is zero evidence that Kimi is going to be anything but slower than George by a margin next season.

You can read the "maybe"? I am not saying it is super likely, but it would give a nice intra team battle if Ant evolves.
If you go by evidence, of course Verstappen is the most likely next Nr.1 driver at Mercedes. But I think they can also survive with two Nr.2 drivers just like McLaren.

[Quantum]

You can read the "maybe"? I am not saying it is super likely, but it would give a nice intra team battle if Ant evolves.
If you go by evidence, of course Verstappen is the most likely next Nr.1 driver at Mercedes. But I think they can also survive with two Nr.2 drivers just like McLaren.

Again, strange comment given that Verstappen has never raced (intra team)with another number 1 driver.

[Tonino]

George is just too soft and let’s be honest, he’s not on the same level talent-wise as Max. That’s the brutal truth. Max squeezes every last drop of performance out of whatever he’s driving. When I see him starting P5, I just know he’s not staying there. With George and the rest, it’s always the same chorus of excuses: the car wasn't good enough, the tyres didn't hold up etc. I guarantee you Max already planned every overtake, legal and borderline illegal, within five minutes of qualifying ending. He knows exactly what he can get away with, and he executes it flawlessly. That’s exactly why Toto and the Mercedes board have been desperate to sign him.

George’s softness just isn’t going to cut it. Lewis is the perfect example, since 2021, Max has taken him to school every single time. At first it was baffling to watch, but now it’s just sad. If we end up with a championship-winning car next year, I’m not 100% convinced George can get the job done.

Also, I have to laugh at this so-called “battle for P2 in the Constructors.” Imagine being proud of being the first loser. In thirty years of watching F1, these last few seasons have been the softest, most uninspired stretch I’ve ever seen. The racing’s dull, the drivers are timid, and the fire’s gone. The only people who should care about that pathetic fight for P2 are the employees counting their bonus money.

[OverheatedTurbo]

George is just too soft and let’s be honest, he’s not on the same level talent-wise as Max. That’s the brutal truth. Max squeezes every last drop of performance out of whatever he’s driving. When I see him starting P5, I just know he’s not staying there. With George and the rest, it’s always the same chorus of excuses: the car wasn't good enough, the tyres didn't hold up etc. I guarantee you Max already planned every overtake, legal and borderline illegal, within five minutes of qualifying ending. He knows exactly what he can get away with, and he executes it flawlessly. That’s exactly why Toto and the Mercedes board have been desperate to sign him.

George’s softness just isn’t going to cut it. Lewis is the perfect example, since 2021, Max has taken him to school every single time. At first it was baffling to watch, but now it’s just sad. If we end up with a championship-winning car next year, I’m not 100% convinced George can get the job done.

Also, I have to laugh at this so-called “battle for P2 in the Constructors.” Imagine being proud of being the first loser. In thirty years of watching F1, these last few seasons have been the softest, most uninspired stretch I’ve ever seen. The racing’s dull, the drivers are timid, and the fire’s gone. The only people who should care about that pathetic fight for P2 are the employees counting their bonus money.

Max has had the second fastest car since Monza. That’s why he’s doing what he’s doing. When the car is trash he is nowhere. The track temperature was 52 C on average so the W16 was going to struggle. I don’t think Max was getting anything out of that Merc. You are simply dreaming.

[Jurgen von Diaz]

No solid two years for Russell. Does this mean that if Merc isn't championship material and Aston Martin looks good next year, Russell would be free to join them in 2027? That would leave Merc in trouble.

[OverheatedTurbo]

No solid two years for Russell. Does this mean that if Merc isn't championship material and Aston Martin looks good next year, Russell would be free to join them in 2027? That would leave Merc in trouble.

Lawrence Stroll has a veto in place against George Russell due to their past. Realistically, he has nowhere to go apart from either Mclaren, which is doubtful, Red Bull or Cadillac.

[Jurgen von Diaz]

No solid two years for Russell. Does this mean that if Merc isn't championship material and Aston Martin looks good next year, Russell would be free to join them in 2027? That would leave Merc in trouble.

Lawrence Stroll has a veto in place against George Russell due to their past. Realistically, he has nowhere to go apart from either Mclaren, which is doubtful, Red Bull or Cadillac.

What is George's and Lawrence's past?

[Matt2725]

No solid two years for Russell. Does this mean that if Merc isn't championship material and Aston Martin looks good next year, Russell would be free to join them in 2027? That would leave Merc in trouble.

Lawrence Stroll has a veto in place against George Russell due to their past. Realistically, he has nowhere to go apart from either Mclaren, which is doubtful, Red Bull or Cadillac.

What is George's and Lawrence's past?

George basically claimed Lance cheated his way to the F3 title in 2016, which by most people's view is likely the case. Lawrence had a large stake in Prema who Lance drove for obviously, and they implemented team orders against his faster teammate all season long in order for Lance to win.
They team ordered Lance's teammate out of the way on lap 1 of the first race of the season for example. It was beyond blatant.

That and there was a suggestion that Lance always had the better engine in his car as well. Lawrence paid for Lance's GP3 title and Russell called them both out on it.

Not sure if Lawrence has a veto on George though, as I've not read anything on that. I'd imagine the likes of Aramco wouldn't take kindly to locking out a top tier driver because of a personal spat.