“With All Due Respect George, Stop It”: Russell’s Hot Take On McLaren Dominance Leaves Fans Divided

George Russell is at it again! After a sublime display of pace in Australia from McLaren, the Mercedes driver feels that the Woking-based team can win every race in 2025. Russell had made a similar prediction about Red Bull in 2023 after the season-opening Bahrain GP. And guess what? He was spot on as Red Bull went on to win 21 out of the 22 Grands Prix.

Two years later, the Briton’s instinct is that the MCL39 could be an uber-dominant car like the RB19. “I think their car is definitely capable of winning every race,” he said per The Race. “The gap they have this year on everybody is bigger than Red Bull has ever had.”

It’s true that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were almost half a second clear of their nearest rivals in qualifying in Melbourne last weekend. But even Red Bull enjoyed that sort of advantage 12 months ago in the initial races of 2024.

And as the season progressed, it is well-documented how their advantage withered away as McLaren and Ferrari became quicker. So, Russell‘s bold prediction has caused a divide among the fans, as one section feels the #63 driver is just trying to get under Norris and Piastri’s skin so that he can at least have a mental advantage, if not the car.

On the contrary, some people feel that he is extrapolating too much from just one race in Australia. “With all due respect George, stop it,” one fan commented on Reddit.

Some fans also questioned Russell’s perspective on how McLaren’s performance advantage is bigger than Red Bull’s in 2023. “Did George forget about 2023?”.

“Let’s not exaggerate, George. 2023 was only 2 seasons ago when Red Bull (Max) gapped the field by 30 seconds or so per race,” another Redditor added.

Many also feel that Russell is only trying to wind up the McLaren team. “Georgey boy has to be saying this purely to wind Lando up.”

Meanwhile, some others in the community think that McLaren still want to be deemed underdogs. So, the Mercedes driver could be trying to use reverse psychology to place his team as a lesser threat and then spring a surprise.

“He’s (Russell) starting mind games early on. Putting all the pressure on McLaren, giving Mercedes a better chance. Likely both”, another fan wrote.

Norris and Piastri unfazed about dominance claims

While Russell’s hot take is trending in the F1 paddock, the McLaren duo have come out with strong replies to refute this notion. Norris hit back at his compatriot and explained how McLaren aren’t in the clear after doing well in just one race of the season.

“If that’s their mentality, wonderful, but that’s not the mentality to have. Sorry, mate. We know we still have a lot of work to do on this year’s car,” Norris said.

Ever since Bahrain testing, he has been highlighting that other teams can catch up with them and how McLaren cannot afford to “relax in this position”. Considering how Red Bull’s form fell off the cliff last season, the Briton is correct about not being complacent or else they too will fail.

Even Piastri chipped in to downplay the McLaren dominance narrative stimulated by Russell’s comments. “If he wants to write off his season after the first weekend, then I’ll let him do that,” the Australian said.

Just like Norris, the Aussie also feels that there will be some races where the MCL39 will struggle. So, it won’t be all smooth sailing for McLaren even though Melbourne showed how fast they are currently.

While McLaren do seem to have the best package as things stand, the in-season development by other teams can turn the tables as it did last year. Ferrari and Red Bull are not going to sit back and let the Woking-based outfit have all the glory. Meanwhile, Mercedes have also shown decent promise from their 3-4 finish in Australia.