George Russell has conceded to frustration over the one-stop strategy being the clear strongest option for the Chinese Grand Prix in his pursuit to beat McLaren. Russell ended the Shanghai race in third position, taking back-to-back podiums across the opening two races this year. The Mercedes driver followed home the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who were largely untroubled en route to the team's 50th 1-2 finish in its history. Heading into the race, a one-stop race seemed unlikely due to the high tyre degradation that was witnessed during the sprint race. But as it soon became clear that it was a viable option, Russell eyed the strategy as a potential route to challenge for victory. Reflecting on his weekend, speaking to media, including RacingNews365 , said his performance was about "being fully maximised every time on track". He added: "[I was] Really happy with qualifying yesterday, getting in between the McLarens. “And then the race was really strong. [I] Called it pretty early about the one-stop and it was a bit frustrating it was so clear in the end because I was hoping those guys ahead [Piastri and Norris] would have gone onto the two-stop.” Russell was overtaken on the opening lap by Norris after securing a front-row starting position after qualifying. However, he moved back ahead of his rival following their first pit stops before Norris reclaimed the position with a move at Turn 1. Russell, though, could not generate enough pace to challenge McLaren for the remainder of the race as the Woking-based team continued to set the benchmark. “We know at the moment we're trying our best to catch McLaren - these guys are doing an amazing job,” he said. “And for us to end up quite a bit ahead of Max and the Ferraris right now, that's a great result.”
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