George Russell appears to be throwing in the towel. The Brit has repeatedly pointed to McLaren as the dominant team of 2025, even comparing the papayas to the nearly unbeatable RB19 of the 2023 season. However, according to Lando Norris, Russell’s conclusion is far too premature, and the Mercedes driver is attempting to play a ‘game’.
During the test days in Bahrain, McLaren was already identified as the team to beat for 2025, a status that the papayas have so far lived up to with two consecutive victories in the first two Grands Prix of the year. George Russell also saw the superiority of his competitors, and even concluded that McLaren has such a lead that the team can already focus on the 2026 car.
“The gap they have built up to the rest is larger than Red Bull has ever had,” Russell even said in the run-up to the Chinese Grand Prix. “Verstappen had an advantage of three or four tenths over the rest of the field in the past, but the margin at McLaren is much wider.”
Games
However, Lando Norris can hardly believe his ears when he hears Russell’s conclusion. “What? A bigger advantage than the Red Bull car of 2023 that won everything? Sure,” the Brit jokes to The Telegraph. “I thought Russell was a bit smarter, but apparently not. I don’t really need to say anything, because this is clearly not the case.”
According to the McLaren driver, Russell’s ‘praise’ of the McLarens is part of a larger game. “George thinks he can play a game, but I’m not falling for it,” says Norris. “The car is clearly not as strong as the Red Bull in 2023. The car is very good, but for him (Russell) to already say that the season is over is a bit strange. But he can do what he wants, I’m actually quite happy that he thinks these things.”
