Going into the 2025 season, George Russell finds himself in a transitionary phase with Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton’s departure and 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli’s arrival mean that the 26-year-old will now be Mercedes’ de facto team leader.
Naturally, if the W16 can formalize any championship ambitions for the Silver Arrows, the first choice to fulfill that would be Russell. Team principal Toto Wolff confirmed as much when he said, “George is ready to win the title,” per Formula Passion.
That said, the incumbent ground effects regulations era has seen Mercedes drop the ball. The last three seasons have seen them struggle to get on top of their car concept and teams like McLaren and Ferrari seem to have better title prospects going into this season.
George Russell makes upcoming F1 title declaration after rapid Mercedes progress:
– George Russell is looking forward to the second half of the F1 2024 season as a chance to set up a strong title challenge for 2025 with Mercedes. After losing a victory at the Belgian Grand Prix… pic.twitter.com/4njWBvFHPY
— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) August 22, 2024
Wolff is aware of this championship dynamic and has urged the squad to give the Briton a car that can fight for wins and titles. “But we have to provide him and Kimi [Antonelli] with a fairly fast car,” the Austrian added.
In the past, Russell has displayed his prowess even when the team hasn’t supplied him with a competitive car. In fact, since his Mercedes debut, the Briton has finished P4, P8, and P6 in the driver’s standings respectively.
If the Silver Arrows are able to give the three-time Grand Prix winner a consistently competitive car in 2025, there would be no doubt that the #63 driver will be fighting at the sharp end of the field.
Russell is ready to fight for the 2025 title but is Mercedes?
When asked if he felt up to the task of battling against the likes of Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc for the title this season, the #63 driver replied he felt absolutely ready to win in 2025.
“I feel that these years [of struggle] sort of have been trial and error. But every time we have had a chance to win, we’ve won. And that’s what gives me the optimism that if we do have the [right] car, we can achieve it,” he explained.
But Mercedes’ struggles in the ground effects era have been underscored by an inherent lack of understanding. The Brackley-based team have failed to understand what has gone wrong with their car concept. This has led to inconsistent performances throughout the season and sometimes between sessions.
Therefore, if the Silver Arrows aren’t able to get on top of the W16 in the opening few rounds of the championship, they might sacrifice this season to focus on the all-important 2026 regulations reset.
