George Russell reveals Mercedes target in face of 'runaway force'

George Russell believes there is only one target in mind for Mercedes this season after witnessing the overwhelming domination of McLaren.

A run of four successive one-twos from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and seven overall for the year, has propelled McLaren into a staggering 299-point lead in the constructors' championship.

The combined totals of second-placed Ferrari and Mercedes in third still fall 63 points shy of McLaren's mammoth 559-point total after 14 grands prix.

With 10 races and three sprints remaining, there is a possibility the team could break through the 1,000-point haul for the first time in F1 history. The record is the 860 points scored by Red Bull in 2023, albeit over a 22-race season, compared to 24 this year.

McLaren's level of performance at present is such, however, that even after 22 races this season, it may have surpassed Red Bull's total by that stage.

Russell appreciates the job McLaren is doing, leaving Mercedes with a key aim for the remainder of the campaign.

"Those guys [McLaren] are just doing an amazing job right now," said Russell, speaking to Sky Sports F1.

"They're head and shoulders above everyone week in, week out. I don't think that's going to change for most of the second half of the year because everybody's so focused on '26, so our goal is to be best of the rest."

Mercedes is currently 24 points behind Ferrari in the battle for second, and 42 points clear of fourth-placed Red Bull.

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Mercedes 'back in our normal position'

Russell finally returned Mercedes to the podium in Hungary on Sunday, scoring third place following a poor run of form since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, only punctuated by the Briton's victory in Canada, where team-mate Kimi Antonelli was third.

An upgrade, that primarily included a new rear suspension introduced in Imola, failed to work. Team principal Toto Wolff has since explained that the victory in Canada only confused the situation.

Mercedes reverted to the pre-Imola spec of rear suspension for the race at the Hungaroring, and it paid dividends, providing Russell and Antonelli with the confidence they had previously lacked.

As to what it will bring for the remainder of the season, speaking after qualifying in fourth for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Russell said: "I don't know. It's definitely been a bit challenging recently.

"I haven't felt awfully confident in the car. Of course, P4 is sort of back in our normal position.

"The fact is, McLaren underperformed in Q3 all weekend. Bar that session, they were seven times ahead of everyone, four times ahead of [Charles] Leclerc, so they're still going to be the runaway force."