Mercedes' George Russell Mercedes' George Russell

George Russell says he is optimistic about Mercedes' chances of competing at the top during the upcoming Formula One season. (More Motorsport News)gggg1998

Mercedes unveiled their new car on Monday, with the team intending to improve on their fourth-place finish in the constructors’ championship last season.

Between 2014 and 2021, Mercedes won eight consecutive constructors' titles but have since earned just five Grands Prix victories in three years.

Mercedes won four races in 2024 – two apiece for Russell and former team-mate Lewis Hamilton – claiming their first victories since 2022.

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However, inconsistency cost them, and they finished the season with 468 points in the constructor standings, behind McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull.

"Every year [since 2022] we have uncovered a problem, solved it, and it's created a new one," Russell said.

"We have been a lot more disciplined with every change we have made, and more thorough than ever in terms of the simulator running, just to ensure we're not going to fall into a new trap.

In the round of 16, he will meet another Danish opponent in fourth seed Anders Antonsen.

The top-ranked men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are holding all the anticipations, having brought pride to India at the 2024 French Open. They emerged victorious at the Paris Arena,66jogo where even the two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu suffered a loss in the semifinals.

"If we bring the performance we expect, it should be a good step forward. There are never guarantees. But I'm optimistic we can have a decent season."

Our 2025 car is here Can’t wait to get this out on the track this week pic.twitter.com/BlNKlznEuM

— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) February 24, 2025

In 2024, Mercedes finished 198 points behind McLaren, who won their first championship since 1998, and Russell believes they are in the strongest position to win the title again.

"Look at how dominant McLaren were. They are the favourites going into this year," Russell said.

"In the final year of the regs, it becomes close naturally, but I still expect McLaren to be right at the forefront."

Mercedes are going into their first season without Hamilton since 2012 after the seven-time champion chose to switch to Ferrari.

Eighteen-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli has replaced Hamilton and will race alongside Russell, who is beginning his fourth year with Mercedes.

Despite the big change to their line-up, team principal Toto Wolff is looking forward to the team's new chapter.

"We open an exciting new era in the story of our team and Mercedes-AMG motorsport in 2025," Wolff said.

"We are building on the incredible legacy of our heritage, and we can't wait to go racing.

"We have an exciting line-up to help us achieve our objectives. Both drivers have progressed through our junior programme and that is a vindication of our commitment to both supporting and developing talent."

F1's track action begins in Bahrain later this weekgggg1998, with three days of testing from February 26-28. The first Grand Prix of the season takes place in Australia on March 16.