George Russell expressed cautious optimism following his fastest time in Free Practice 2 (FP2) at the 2025 F1 Canadian GP. After a series of difficult weekends, Mercedes appeared to find form again under the cooler conditions at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. The result offered a welcome shift in momentum for the Brackley-based team.
Russell noted the improvement after a tough triple-header in Europe, which yielded only 18 points for Mercedes. The team had consistently delivered strong performances earlier in the season, but Monaco saw both Russell and team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli finish outside the top ten. However, the Canadian track’s lower temperatures and smooth surface offered a much-needed opportunity for what Mercedes will hope to be a turn-around in performance and fortune.
“A very positive day” for Mercedes
Russell highlighted the importance of capitalising on the team’s strengths in the right conditions. He reflected on his performance in FP2, stating:
“It might be my first time top of the leaderboard the whole year! 10 races in… no, obviously we’ve had a very positive day.”
He continued, “We had higher expectations coming into this weekend because of the cooler conditions. The track’s quite smooth so the tyres naturally run quite cold and we know our weakness, which is when it’s hot, we struggle and when it’s cold, the tyres run cold, we’re pretty competitive.”
This alignment between the conditions and the car’s characteristics proved crucial in allowing Russell to extract maximum performance from the W16.
Russell “realistic” despite validating signs
However, although the Mercedes driver led the timesheets, he remained realistic about expectations for the remainder of the weekend. Despite the tight margins—Russell edged out Lando Norris by just 0.028 seconds—he underscored the limitations of the current package:
“That was definitely validation today. Nevertheless, we’ll try to maximise this weekend. I think my lap was really strong today, probably optimised. There was nothing more in the tank there. We had it all on the table – full beans, power and all the rest so let’s see what tomorrow brings. You’ve got to be a little bit realistic.”
He also highlighted the strategic complexity presented by the tyre compounds this weekend, nothing that they created uncertainty about Qualifying tactics. This, he said, posed a challenge, especially for Mercedes whose drivers have not favoured the C6 compound.
“Clearly, a number of teams are thinking about this medium tyre as well so come Qualifying, do you go on the soft? Do you go on the medium? That’s one of the challenges so far when we’ve had this C6 compound.”
While Mercedes will welcome the positive signs shown on Friday, Russell’s comments make clear that the team is aware of the hurdles ahead. The real test will come during Qualifying and Sunday’s race.
