When the 2025 Austrian GP began, expectations for Mercedes were high after their recent win in Canada, but the team quickly found themselves off the pace at the Red Bull Ring.
George Russell summed up their struggles by calling it “a bit of a perfect storm,” as rising track temperatures, the circuit’s abrasive surface, and relentless high-speed corners combined to create the worst possible scenario for the Silver Arrows.
The British driver finished fifth, unable to catch the Ferrari duo or his main rivals at McLaren, while teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli retired on Lap 1 after a collision with Max Verstappen.
Russell gave a candid assessment of the weekend, admitting: “This was a bit of a perfect storm. The tarmac’s like one of the roughest of the season. Obviously, high-speed circuit, you’re going around the track many times. So, the most number of laps in the season and then 50 degrees track temp. So, it was sort of that perfect storm, really.”
Russell continued: “I was expecting a bad race and it was worse than I even could imagine. The problem is so clear, coming off the back of Canada with the win, with no tyre overheating, we’re the quickest.
“But as soon as you get to a track where there’s a bit of overheating, we drop off so much. So, to be honest, the team have been working so hard for six months now to try and solve this issue. We’ve got ideas, but nothing that’s really, we’re not really making major headway right now.”
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
Where did it go wrong for Mercedes in Austria?
Toto Wolff was also frank about the source of Mercedes’ problems. He pointed out three main issues: abrasive tarmac, longer corners, and unusually high temperatures.
“The limiting factors for us are a more abrasive asphalt, longer corners and high temperatures,” Wolff said. “That is what we faced today but the gap we saw today was too big to reduce it down to those three elements alone. We will look at all the data and find solutions.”
Wolff praised Russell’s ability to salvage the best result possible: “George meanwhile had a lonely race. He ultimately maximised the car we had today, but he was not threatened by those behind but neither had the pace to challenge the Ferraris or McLarens ahead.”
Despite the tough day, Mercedes is still just one point behind Ferrari in the constructors’ championship. Antonelli’s DNF and Red Bull’s troubles limited the damage, keeping Mercedes in the hunt for second place in the standings.
Looking forward, both Russell and Wolff believe the team’s fortunes could improve at Silverstone, especially if the British weather plays its part.
“Silverstone is the highest-speed circuit, but the tarmac is actually quite new, which is good news. If the track temperature is the same like last year, it was like 20 degrees, I think, last year. So, it was quite cool, we were on pole. But if it’s two weeks ago, it was 31 degrees in England. So, if it’s 31 degrees, we won’t be on pole this year,” Russell said.
Russell summed up the weekend’s lesson: “For sure damage limitation, I think. I still take pride in the fact that almost every race this year, we’re maximising the results. Today, P5, we definitely could not have achieved anything higher than P5. The same way as last week, the win was the potential, and we got the win. So, fingers crossed, it stays cloudy for the rest of the season.”
As Mercedes prepares for the British Grand Prix, the team will look to turn the lessons from Austria into a much-needed rebound at their home event.
