“Lando was definitely the quickest guy out there,” claims Russell after his dominant win in Singapore
Despite his dominant display at Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, Mercedes driver George Russell claims that his McLaren rival Lando Norris “was definitely the quickest guy out there.”
Having grabbed pole position on Saturday, George Russell led off the line in Singapore. The Briton delivered a dominant performance in the opening stages of the race to build up a healthy lead from the chasing pack.
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris then looked much more comfortable as the track rubbered in, and Russell slightly struggled to get the hard tyres to work.
However, Verstappen could never get close enough to apply any pressure and he was able to secure his second victory of the season.
Pressed on to reveal whether things were out front as smooth as they looked, Russell admitted that he might have had the race under control, conditions made it physically tough to complete the race distance of 62 laps.
“I mean, a one hour, 45-minute race here in Singapore, with the heat and humidity, is never smooth and straightforward. But when I saw Max on the Soft tyres, I knew I just needed to stay ahead of him at Turn 1.
“But then the opening laps were really strong, and I know Max was probably managing those Softs more than I was managing my Mediums, but pulling the 10-second gap in 20-something laps was really great. And from that moment on, I just knew it was, yeah, bring it home and watch out for the wall at Turn 10.
Asked whether he was nervous when he saw Max Verstappen start on the soft compound, Russell admitted that the different tyre choice certainly made the start crucial considering how challenging overtaking was at Singapore.
“Yeah, well, I thought it was a smart move from those guys because if Max jumped me at Turn 1, to be honest, I think he would have won the race, because overtaking was so challenging.
“You saw Lando was definitely the quickest guy out there, and he just couldn’t pass Max. He was within a second every single lap.
“So if Lando couldn’t get past, I doubt we would have been able to achieve it. So, it was crucial that we nailed the start. It’s been a strong point of mine this year, so I’m glad we did.”
That winning feeling 🥳 pic.twitter.com/xHPJbaXPDn
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) October 5, 2025
