Russell reflects on Las Vegas hopes one year on from victory as he predicts ‘strong’ Red Bull challenge

George Russell has given his take on whether Mercedes can again be in the fight for victory in Las Vegas one year on from the Briton leading home a 1-2 finish for the squad, with the Silver Arrows racer predicting that rivals Red Bull will be “strong” at the circuit this time around.

With the Mercedes machine known to perform well in cooler conditions, the weather at last year’s event in Las Vegas proved ideal for the team’s car and Russell scored his third career win ahead of then-team mate Lewis Hamilton.

However, when asked prior to the 2025 race if he was confident about his victory chances this time, the 27-year-old suggested that history may not necessarily repeat itself.

“Obviously, last year was a great race for us,” Russell explained. “The car definitely performed very well in these cooler conditions, but we've also got to be realistic that success a year ago doesn't mean you're going to have success a year later.

“We won in Singapore this year and had a terrible race there last year, in 2024. So it doesn’t mean it's going to be the same case this weekend. I think the likes of Red Bull have made big improvements on their low downforce setting as well. They won in Monza, won in Baku, so I expect them to be strong too.”

Russell went on to acknowledge that Mercedes’ 2025 car is more of an ‘all-rounder’ rather than being strong at specific circuits, adding: “Everybody's objective is to make a car that's strong over the course of a 24-race season.

“Last year, we had a car that was exceptionally good in those cooler conditions, and I think that's why as a team, we had more victories, but we were further away in the championship.

“We finished fourth in the championship last year. We're fighting for second this year. So we do have a car that is stronger across a range of circuits, but it does potentially mean we won't be as competitive.”

In terms of his level of confidence regarding whether Mercedes can hold onto P2 in the Teams’ Championship, Russell suggested that the positions can change rapidly.

“It swings so quickly, to be honest,” he explained. “You have a good result as a team and get a 1-2, for example, and that can swing so quickly. We came away from Austin, Mexico on the back foot, not performing well. But then in Brazil, we picked up a load of points as a team.

“So again, not being complacent, just taking it race by race. And, of course, our goal is to finish second, but we also want to win again this season. I think these next two races are the best chance.”

For now Russell’s focus is on the days ahead in Las Vegas – and when asked to elaborate on his comments about the potential challenge posed by Red Bull, and whether he still viewed McLaren as a rival at this venue, Russell answered: “Honestly, no. I don’t think so.

“If I took Mercedes out of the equation and I were to try and guess who would win this weekend, I think this would be a circuit where McLaren would struggle more than usual. When you look at their performance in Canada, it was the only time they weren't on the podium, and their performance in Baku – the only [other] time they weren't on the podium.

“This circuit has some similar characteristics to those tracks: the coldness, type of tarmac, the C5 tyre. And obviously low downforce – Baku is the same as Las Vegas. But there are always these surprises.

“I think it's so close in Q3 now between so many teams. If you can do a magic lap and you can start on pole position, your whole weekend changes. So they'll be there or thereabouts, but I think Red Bull probably have a better chance.”