George Russell delivers clear McLaren pecking order verdict

George Russell believes that McLaren is now the team to beat in F1 following its back-to-back wins in Hungary and the Netherlands.

The Woking-based squad introduced a major upgrade at the Hungaroring and complemented it with another batch of new components last weekend at Zandvoort.

On both occasions, Lando Norris came out on top to put further pressure on Mercedes, who has seen its early season advantage slip away.

Next up on the schedule is a trip to the Monza Circuit, home of the Italian Grand Prix, in just over one weeks' time.

While Russell is expecting the track to be better suited to Mercedes' package, he is wary of the threat that other rivals will pose.

“I think we will be slightly more competitive there,” Russell told media including RacingNews365.

“However, I believe Ferrari have an engine upgrade incoming, and the truth is we just don’t know.” 

While Russell has one eye on the threat that Ferrari may pose, he stated that McLaren should not be ruled out of putting up a fight following its recent surge in form.

“I do believe that these high-degradation circuits really suit McLaren very well, and especially Lando,” he said.

“He’s always been a bit of a specialist in those conditions. We also saw it last year. 

“Monza may be slightly different, but I think they are the team to beat right now.”