Sports · Motorsport · 15 hrs ago
Russell says Red Bull is F1’s team to beat after recent wins
George Russell says Red Bull is now Formula 1’s team to beat after its strong results at three recent races.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the Singapore Grand Prix, following another recent race victory.
Russell finished ninth in Singapore after starting 19th because of an engine penalty.
Mercedes brought a new car upgrade to recent races, but has not yet turned its expected gains into faster lap times.
Russell says Mercedes needs to find more performance to catch Red Bull.
Teammate Kimi Antonelli says Red Bull has improved, but Mercedes is also still learning how to get the most from its upgrade.
He says the upgrade works only within a narrow range of conditions, so the team and drivers need to adapt.
George Russell says Red Bull is now Formula 1’s team to beat after its strong results over the recent three-week stretch.
Max Verstappen finished 0.196 seconds behind Russell in Baku, then won in Malaysia and Singapore, according to Motorsport.com.
Russell finished ninth in Singapore after starting 19th with an engine penalty, according to ESPN.
Mercedes is still trying to unlock the performance of its new upgrade, which Kimi Antonelli says has a narrow operating window.
The reports differ on the location of Verstappen’s earlier 2026 grand prix victory: Motorsport.com says Malaysia, while ESPN calls it the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
- Who
- George Russell says Red Bull is the team to beat. Max Verstappen drives for Red Bull.
- What
- Russell says Red Bull has become Formula 1’s benchmark after recent strong results.
- When
- After the Singapore Grand Prix in October 2026.
- Where
- The comments followed the Singapore Grand Prix. The recent races discussed were in Baku, Malaysia and Singapore.
- Why
- Red Bull has shown strong performance across different circuits, while Mercedes is still working to extract the gains from its new upgrade.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Verstappen finished 0.196 seconds behind Russell.
Verstappen went on to win, according to Motorsport.com; ESPN describes his earlier victory as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Verstappen won the grand prix after taking a sprint victory on Saturday, according to ESPN.
Russell called Red Bull the team to beat, while Mercedes continued assessing its new upgrade.
- Russell’s Singapore finish
- Ninth, after starting 19th with an engine penalty
- Baku gap
- Verstappen finished 0.196 seconds behind Russell
- Red Bull results
- Wins in Malaysia and Singapore, according to Motorsport.com
- Mercedes upgrade
- Introduced in Malaysia; Antonelli said its operating window was very small
- Recent stretch
- Three weeks across three different circuits
What people are saying
Right now they are the team to beat.
For sure, they've done a good step forward.
Really, you need to take your hat off of what Red Bull has done this season, how they have developed the car and how it's all come together as a package.
Sources
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