Ahead of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, George Russell warned against making assumptions based on testing.
Albert Park will be the first opportunity for fans and teams alike to see a representative performance from the grid. The first chance to establish the season’s order.
Despite pre-season rumours that Mercedes would take the lead due to the loophole they found in their compression ratio, testing and the FIA’s ruling on the loophole have thrown that into doubt.
Russell spoke up about the order and where Mercedes stands. He felt some teams played ‘strategic poker’ over testing.
“From our side, there hasn’t really been any strategic poker.” He told the media, including Motorsport Week.
“We’ve been very consistent with our run plans over the course of the two weeks, staying pretty consistent on fuel loads and power stuff.”
George Russell ‘intrigued’ to see how F1 curtain-raiser ‘pans out’
Mercedes seemed strong in testing, with many headlines calling Ferrari and Mercedes the 2026 frontrunners. However, the team suffered more reliability issues than their main competitors, posing potential issues for the season.
“We didn’t change our plans during the course of the test based on us looking strong or slow. I think Red Bull looked suspiciously slow in the second test.
Russell questioned the results of Red Bull, whose pace appeared to drop off quickly from one test to the next. The Silver Arrows peg the Milton Keynes team as one of the principal competitors for 2026.
“We had them down as, I believe, the quickest in the first test. And based on our numbers, they went seventh-tenths slower than themselves in the second test.
“Whereas ourselves and Ferrari went a couple of tenths quicker with a few new upgrades to the car, and as you’re progressing, so I’m struggling to wrap my head around how they’ve lost seven tenths in a week.
The Brit made it clear he doesn’t intend to rule out any of the teams, especially Red Bull. No assumption can be made in F1 until cars are on track and the race is over.
“I expect them to be very strong, to be honest. And that’s why we’re just all really intrigued to see how it pans out.”
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