“We were definitely in the fight for the win," claims Russell as he was left frustrated after Suzuka setbacks
George Russell left the Japanese Grand Prix knowing he had the pace to fight for victory — but not the luck. The Mercedes driver finished fourth after a race shaped by a poor start, an unfortunately timed pit stop, and a chaotic restart that cost him crucial positions.
Russell was candid about how the weekend unfolded, admitting: “We've had a lot of bad luck this weekend and that is unfortunate as we were definitely in the fight for the win today.”
His race began to unravel almost immediately. A sluggish getaway dropped him into traffic, forcing him to fight back through the pack. By the time he recovered to second place, he felt the momentum was finally swinging his way.
As he explained: “After a difficult start, we'd managed to get ourselves back to P2 but stopped just one lap before the safety car was deployed. That changed the complexion of the race…”
That Safety Car proved decisive. While teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli benefitted from a perfectly timed stop, Russell emerged behind both Antonelli and Oscar Piastri.
The restart only compounded the frustration. “…and unfortunately, after taking the restart in P3, we lost two more positions as a result firstly of hitting the harvesting limit and then an unexpected superclip,” he said. “It was pretty frustrating but that's the way racing goes sometimes.”
Despite the setbacks, Russell salvaged fourth place after an intense multi‑lap duel with Charles Leclerc. But the bigger picture, he warned, is that Mercedes’ early‑season advantage is shrinking.
“It's clear from this weekend that our competitors are beginning to optimise their cars much more now,” he noted. “We have enjoyed a great start to the season, but our rivals are hot on our heels as we saw today.”
With a break before the next round in Miami, Russell expects the field to tighten even further. “The upcoming gap in the calendar will also give everyone a chance to develop further so we know that, once we're back on track in Miami, we are in for a proper fight.”
