Russell "absolutely" sure Mercedes can win titles in 2025

Having lost a brilliant victory due to a technical infringement, Mercedes driver George Russell thinks that the Brackley-based team is well-prepared to come next year even stronger and fight for the championship titles.

Having lacked pace during Friday's practice sessions, Mercedes driver George Russell had seemingly pulled off an unlikely win during Sunday’s race at Spa-Francorchamps. The Briton started from P6 on the grid, and committing himself to a one-stop strategy, he took his third F1 win.

However, after the chequered flag, Russell’s car was found to be underweight, with the stewards subsequently excluding him from the results – meaning team mate Lewis Hamilton takes the win.

Asked about Mercedes' prospects for the next season, Russell suggested that the current championship is about putting the building blocks in place to go for a consistent title run in 2025.

"Absolutely. I think for all of us, It's been a difficult couple of years getting the car into a place where we can consistently fight for victories. But, you know, I'm so motivated, so excited for the second half of the season, which is ultimately building up towards 2025.

"And when you look at the competition now, you know, there's no reason why we can't fight. And if the season started in Montreal, the championship standings would be looking very, very different.

"So, you know, it's going to be great. There's so much, I think there's so much motivation from all the other teams to get back to the front, from McLaren, from Ferrari, from ourselves. So for sure, it's not going to be easy. And, you know, hopefully we see a good fight on our hands into next year," concluded Russell.