George Russell issues Mercedes caution as F1 title fight brews

George Russell has insisted there is no guarantee that the title fight this year will remain between the two Mercedes drivers.

His comment comes after the Brackley-based squad won the opening three races of the year, one of which went the way of Russell.

However, it is team-mate Kimi Antonelli who currently leads the standings by nine points after back-to-back wins across China and Japan.

The duo have been tipped as the primary title contenders this year, given Mercedes' position at the head of the order - but Russell has insisted it is far from a sure thing.

“Firstly, 100 per cent [Mercedes will] give the same opportunity to the two of us,” Russell told media including RacingNews365.

“That's always been the case for Mercedes ever since the Lewis [Hamilton] and [Nico] Rosberg days.

“Of course, I hope it's just the two of us going for the championship, but I don't want to get ahead of ourselves.

“In 2022, after three races, I think [Charles] Leclerc had a 30-plus point lead, and [Max] Verstappen was saying the championship is over and Ferrari were the quickest, and then in the end they were not.”

Despite his caution, Russell is confident the team has all the ingredients to stay in a strong position.

“I think we have a very good direction, the correlation is very good,” he said. 

“We're ticking all of the boxes that tell us we have a really great foundation with the car but, of course, these things change.

“We know McLaren has not brought a major update recently, and when you look at their performance in Suzuka, I think [Oscar] Piastri could have won that race without any safety car at all.

“I’m just taking it race by race. The championship is not even in my mind.

“I just go to every race, try and maximise the performance, and we'll count the points at the end of the season.”