George Russell fires warning at F1 title rivals

George Russell is adamant he is "not even close" to the height of his powers in F1, after an impressive start to the current season.

The Mercedes driver has secured three podium finishes from the opening five rounds, including a exceptional performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix in his ailing W16 to hold off the fast-charging Lando Norris for second place.

Despite a more difficult weekend in Saudi Arabia, when he fell from third at the start to fifth by the chequered flag, it means the 27-year-old sits just 26 points adrift of the Oscar Piastri atop the drivers' standings, with his consistency and pace keeping him within touching distance of the championship fight despite battling with inferior machinery.

Those results and his accompanying form has been the catalyst for the paddock-wide consensus that he has taken a considerable step forward this year.

This view has been compounded by the Briton stepping out the shadow of compatriot Lewis Hamilton, who departed for Ferrari over the winter, and himself obtaining the lead driver role alongside the talented rookie Kimi Antonelli.

However, Russell sees the situation differently. Not only does he not believe his improvement over the off-season is not as pronounced as is being suggested, he insists he still has some way to go before he reaches his peak, something he maintains is attainable.

"I personally feel like I'm doing my own thing, really," the three-time grand prix winner told media including RacingNews365.

"I don't think my performances have stepped up massively since last year, I think I was performing at a very good level throughout the end of last year, from probably Austin time onwards.

"Of course, being team-mates with a seven-time world champion, you've always got a fight on your hands, week in, week out.

"It wasn't straightforward, but I don't think I'm going about my business any different from last year, but I do think I am driving at the best of my abilities, and I feel that I'm getting stronger every single season - and I still feel there's a lot of room for me to improve.

"I feel that I'm not even close to my peak yet, and that excites me a lot, because I still see areas of improvement that is very much achievable, and that I very much believe will bring performance to my game."