George Russell has revealed he does not “really know” how close he has found himself to both McLaren drivers in the Formula 1 World Championship so far.
The Mercedes driver won the Canadian Grand Prix in a dominant display from pole position, his nearest challenger being his rival Max Verstappen.
By contrast, both McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri struggled at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, in what was, by the Woking-based squad’s standards, a flat performance.
Piastri could only manage fourth from third on the grid, and the team’s miserable afternoon was compounded by Norris taking himself out of the race after touching Piastri on the start-finish straight on the start of Lap 67.
For Russell, who is now fourth in the Drivers’ Championship – just 40 and 62 points behind Norris and Piastri respectively – was quick to quell any idea that he is a serious contender in the title.
“I mean, to be honest, I don’t really know how Max and I are so close to those two because they clearly have the most dominant car,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“I think the two of us have been very consistent and getting the maximum result from our packages week in, week out. But I can’t imagine them to continue throwing away points in the manner they’re doing.
“Of course, we hope that continues to be the case, but I don’t foresee us getting in the championship fight through pure pace as Lando did last year.
“We’ll only be there if results like today continue or things like today continue to happen.”
‘Time will tell’ if Mercedes can repeat feat in Austria
Next week’s Austrian Grand Prix is likely to be a circuit in which McLaren will return to strength, and the high-speed corners at the Red Bull Ring could also play into the hands of Red Bull’s RB21.
A more conventional circuit, combined with the likelihood of high temperatures, may prove to be too big a challenge for Mercedes’ W16, a car which has often been more competitive in cooler weather.
Russell profited from a late collision between Norris and Verstappen there last year to take victory, and was coy about the prospects of repeating the feat.
“Time will tell. Time will tell,” he said. “I mean, we won Austria last year, so maybe that’s a good omen.”
READ MORE – Why Mercedes intends to keep ‘natural’ team leader George Russell in its F1 ranks
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