George Russell wary of Ferrari threat after Lewis Hamilton win: 'They're coming'

George Russell is expecting Ferrari will continue to push Mercedes after the Italian squad claimed victory in Barcelona on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton picked up his first race victory for Ferrari as Mercedes suffered a defeat for the first time this year.

Ferrari introduced a significant upgrade in Spain as it looks to get involved in the fight at the front, with Hamilton's win now upping the pressure on the Brackley-based outfit.

Russell is not anticipating that it will be a one-off occasion as he backed Mercedes' rival to continue its assault in the coming rounds.

“Yesterday was a real surprise for us in the team, and then the pace today was insane from Lewis,” Russell said. 

“So, yeah, they're coming.”

Russell appeared to be on course for a third-place finish as he was overtaken by team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the final stages, before Antonelli suffered a terminal failure.

Having appeared to have the upper hand on his team-mate over the course of the weekend until the race, Russell acknowledged it was a more challenging day for him on Sunday.

“Friday and Saturday were really strong and solid days for me,” he said,

“Today was a little bit more challenging. Everything started off quite well. 

“I felt good in the first stint, and then the last two stints it was a bit more difficult. But as I said, it's good to be back here.”

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