A frustrated George Russell reflects on the 'dead slow' Mercedes race pace in the F1 Imola GP

George Russell felt that seventh place was the maximum he could achieve with the pace of his Mercedes at the 2025 Imola GP. Despite starting third on the grid, the Briton struggled to hold position in the early laps and dropped back quickly, compromised by warmer track temperatures that seemed to expose the W16’s limitations.

Russell’s race was further hampered by the performance drop-off on the medium tyre, leaving him unable to fight with the frontrunners. While Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari showed stronger pace, Mercedes lacked competitiveness throughout the race. His teammate Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, failed to finish after retiring early.

The Briton, who looked visibly frustrated with the result, suggested that Mercedes has consistently struggled in warmer conditions since 2024, and the Imola weekend further highlighted a potential fundamental issue with the car. He noted that their pace was so poor at times, they were even slower than the Williams, with Alex Albon finishing ahead in fifth.

Russell said (via Sky Sports F1) after the conclusion of the race:

“We were just dead slow. The trends are pretty clear. When it's hot, we're slow. When it's cold, we're quick, That was the same last year. We've been doing everything with the setup to try and find solutions, but there's clearly something more fundamental in the car.”

"It's not the first race for this season where we've been slower than Ferrari, even slower or the same pace as Williams, but we've just somehow managed to get a result out of it on these occasions. But today we were very lucky to finish P7 in all honesty..”

Notably, Russell is currently fourth on the overall driver standings behind Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Max Verstappen.

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George Russell feels that Mercedes' performance issues could be an inherent flaw

George Russell believes Mercedes’ struggles in warmer conditions might be stemming from a fundamental flaw in the car’s concept. He suggested the issue may not have a quick fix and could continue to hinder their performance as the season progresses.

During the Imola GP, the team attempted to manage tyre performance better, but Russell admitted they were unable to extract the pace they needed. The car’s inability to perform in higher temperatures meant the effort fell short of delivering results.

With more hot-weather races ahead, Russell stressed the importance of finding a more effective and long-term solution. He acknowledged that without addressing this underlying issue, Mercedes could continue to face similar limitations at other circuits.

Addressing the issues on the Mercedes during the Imola GP, Russell said:

“I wouldn't say we are running out of ideas to solve the tyres, but as I said, it's sort of baked into the car. You look at Ferrari a few years ago, they used to be mega quick in qualifying and slow in the race. Now they've kind of done a U-turn, and they also don't really understand why that is. So we need to find a better compromise, especially ahead of the next race. We're approaching summer and it doesn't really bode well for us. We need to think quick,” he mentioned (via Sky Sports F1)

George Russell is currently fourth in the Drivers’ Championship with 99 points, trailing Max Verstappen by 25, Lando Norris by 34, and leader Oscar Piastri by 47. Despite consistent points finishes, the Mercedes driver is yet to win a race in the 2025 season.

In the Constructors’ standings, Mercedes hold second place with 147 points. They sit 132 points behind leaders McLaren but maintain a 16-point buffer over Red Bull Racing. However, with Ferrari showing improved pace and closing in, the battle for second is becoming increasingly competitive.

With McLaren setting the benchmark and both Red Bull and Ferrari gaining ground, Mercedes will need to urgently address their performance issues, particularly in warmer conditions, if they aim to hold their position or close the gap at the top.