George Russell claims 'Red Bull in a league of their own' ahead of Bahrain GP

George Russell recently admitted that Red Bull looked the strongest on the grid after the 2023 F1 pre-season testing.

The Austrian-British team topped the charts in testing, continuing their domination over the grid after an unstoppable 2022 season. Although Russell thinks Mercedes will try everything to get back to the top and fight for wins and titles, the British driver understands that it will take time to dethrone Red Bull.

Speaking at the drivers' press conference ahead of the Bahrain GP, the British driver mentioned that Red Bull are "in a league of their own," acknowledging their dominance. He further mentioned that Mercedes will mainly fight Ferrari and Aston Martin in the first race of the season, saying:

"It probably wasn’t the smoothest three days we could have hoped for at testing. But the learning we found is going to put us in better stead for this weekend. But I think it’s definitely fair to say Red Bull are in a league of their own this weekend in Bahrain. It'll probably be a nice fight for second between Ferrari and Aston Martin."

Russell also spoke about the mood at Mercedes after the pre-season testing. While he and his team are not too hopeful for the Bahrain GP, they are trying to develop a car that will run smoothly on all tracks throughout the season. Overall, he was happy with the testing sessions, despite the hiccups his team faced on the second day. Russell said:

"The mood in the camp is good. It was a good test, and we learned a lot. We learned that obviously Red Bull are looking really strong, but equally, we feel like we have room for improvement. We can bring a little bit more pace this weekend after the learnings from testing. But it is going to be a challenging weekend if you want to fight for the victory. But we knew that ahead of the season."

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George Russell reveals how Mercedes are playing the long game to fight for 2023 F1 championship

As deduced from the 2023 F1 testing in Bahrain, it is clear that Mercedes are not as strong as Ferrari and Red Bull. However, George Russell recently claimed that his team will be able to catch up in the championship fight after a few races, saying:

"This season is going to be won or lost mid-way to the end of the season, it’s not gonna be won or lost in the first 5 races. So, as much as we want to win next weekend in Bahrain, we know it’s more important that we got the right car come race 6."

Russell himself admitted that the team might not perform brilliantly in the Bahrain GP, but Mercedes are developing the car in such a way that it gradually improves in performance throughout the season. However, Red Bull and Ferrari could create a massive gap in the standings by the time Mercedes resolve their issues and create a championship-winning car.