With Russell on the front row, Mercedes predicts an 'interesting' race in China

La Mercedes George Russell's was far from being among the favorites to start on the front row in Shanghai this weekend. Unlike the McLaren, to Ferrari and Red Bull de Max Verstappen, the Mercedes are still in the running-in phase on several points, particularly regarding the functioning of the tires. Nevertheless, the Silver Arrows have shown a certain competitiveness since the beginning of the season: in Australia, George Russell climbed onto the third step of the podium while his rookie teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, took fourth position.

This Saturday again, Mercedes showed some good things and even stole the front row from the McLaren of Lando Norris, to everyone's surprise... even in the German clan. "Nobody expected to challenge the McLarens, but I think they didn't optimize what they had today, explained George Russell, second in Q3, after qualifying. Third would have been a good result, so second is excellent." For his part, Andrea Kimi Antonelli managed to secure his first Q3 in Formula 1 – he who had been eliminated in Q1 in Melbourne – and qualified in 8th place, sandwiched between the two Racing Bulls.

Despite this promising first row for the Chinese Grand Prix, Toto wolff, Team Principal of the German team, remained pragmatic about the course of this Sunday's race in Shanghai. “Tomorrow’s race looks very interesting, the Austrian leader said. We expect the McLarens to be strong, while the Ferraris stood out in this morning's sprint. Starting from second position, we'll look to hold on in the early laps and see where we end up."

Tire management in the spotlight

Unlike in Melbourne, it is tire management that seems to be the problem for the Silver Arrows here, more than the race pace of the W16. “We struggled to get the tires into the right window throughout qualifying, exhibited Toto Wolff. We didn't give up, we worked as a team and we managed to get it done at the end of the session. George was able to complete a full lap and the result was second place on the grid. It was a great effort and another calm and collected performance from him."

For the director of the German team, all scenarios are possible on Sunday: "No one has ridden with the hard compound tire yet, so it's an unknown for Sunday. Let's see what we can do." In China, Mercedes has the opportunity to confirm its good form at the start of the 2025 season and consolidate its 2nd place in the Constructors' Championship... or even better?

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