George Russell gives his verdict on who has the faster car out of Mercedes and McLaren

George Russell recently assessed McLaren's pace and where they stand compared to his team, Mercedes. The orange British team has suddenly improved quite a lot with the help of upgrade packages they brought for the car back in the Austrian GP. They are currently a clear competitor to Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, George Russell stated that Lando Norris' side of the McLaren garage might be a small step ahead of Mercedes as of now. However, he also praised Oscar Piastri for delivering an impressive performance, especially considering that it is his first year in the sport.

Russell believes that when Piastri reaches Norris' level, McLaren could pose a serious threat to his team. He said:

"McLaren maybe seem one small step ahead, probably more so on Lando's side. Lando's done a great job. But I've also been impressed with Oscar this year.

"He hasn't really put a foot wrong, and as a rookie, that's impressive. He will get there to Lando's level at some point. When that's the case, they will be a real threat."

Concluding his comparison between the two teams, George Russell stated that his team is currently equal to McLaren, at least in the 2023 F1 season. He said:

"I think we have enough legs so far to hold them off until the end of the season. I would say we are equal second with McLaren."

Since McLaren have only recently started to pick up major points, it will take them quite a lot of races before they can equal Mercedes in the constructors' championship. However, they could come close and end up in third place if they keep pushing.

---

McLaren's sudden pace improvement surprised George Russell

George Russell, along with thousands of fans and other F1 teams and drivers, were quite surprised to see McLaren suddenly skyrocketing through the pecking order, especially after their upgrade package. Lando Norris managed to finish second, while Oscar Piastri finished fourth in the British GP.

After the race at Silverstone, Russell praised McLaren. He was quoted as saying by ESPN:

"I see no reason why they shouldn't be up there now. We've come from Red Bull Ring, which is a very different circuit to Silverstone. And they were a small step ahead of us on both occasions."

He added:

"So I don't know how they've found this much performance. It's been quite surprising. We don't tend to focus too much on our competitors. We just need to keep focusing on ourselves."

McLaren are currently fifth in the constructors' championship with 87 points, while Mercedes are second with 223 points.