George Russell is delighted with the progress of Friday’s events in Canada. The British driver unexpectedly topped the time sheet during the second free practice session. It was the first time this season that the Mercedes driver had led a practice session. According to Russell, Mercedes is currently benefiting from the colder conditions in Montreal. ‘When it’s cold, we’re quite competitive,’ concludes the Mercedes driver.
Six times in a row in the top five. That’s how George Russell started 2025. However, after Mercedes’ disappointing triple header, the Brit has lost his streak. The Silver Arrows are keen on revenge after the disappointing result of only eighteen World Championship points in three races. Mercedes seems to have found the upward trend in Montreal so far. While Russell led the time sheet in FP2, Andrea Kimi Antonelli completed the top three.
“It’s probably the first time I’ve topped a leaderboard all year!” says an enthusiastic Russell after FP2. The Mercedes driver was able to find the necessary balance early in the second session. “After ten races… no, we’ve clearly had a positive day.” So far, the race weekend in Canada is meeting the Silver Arrows’ expectations. “We had higher expectations for this weekend due to the cooler conditions. The track is quite slippery, so the tyres naturally run quite cold and we know our weak points. When it’s warm, we struggle and when it’s cold, the tyres run cold and we’re quite competitive.”
‘Nothing more in the tank’
Russell was pleased that his performance, particularly in the second session on Friday, met these expectations. However, the Brit is not getting ahead of himself. “My lap was very strong today, probably couldn’t have been better. There was nothing more in the tank. We had nothing left in reserve, so let’s see what happens (on Saturday). We have to stay realistic.”
