George Russell tips Aston Martin to enjoy a ‘very strong’ weekend in Australia: “They seem the quickest...”

Mercedes driver George Russell has tipped Aston Martin to impress in Australia. Aston Martin have emerged as the surprise package in 2023. They have built a car capable of frequent podiums, with rivals Mercedes and Ferrari lacking in race pace and struggling with various issues.

They currently sit second in the constructors' standings, trailing only Red Bull Racing. In the drivers' standings, Fernando Alonso (30 points) is third, with Sergio Perez (43 points) and Max Verstappen (44 points) ahead of him.

With F1 now heading down under for the Australian GP, Russell has backed Aston Martin to continue their good form at Albert Park. He believes his team will have a 'good weekend' in Melbourne if they can go toe-to-toe with Aston Martin and Ferrari.

Speaking at a press conference, Russell said (via soymotor):

"If we are able to get another fourth place or fight for the podium, we will have got the most out of the car. I think the Aston Martins are going to be very strong here, they seem the quickest in the middle corner and there are a lot of those in Melbourne. If we can fight with them and Ferrari again, it would be a good weekend for us."

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Felipe Massa picks George Russell over Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes' main title challenger

Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has backed George Russell, and not Lewis Hamilton, to be Mercedes' main title challenger in the future.

After earning his stripes at Williams Racing, Russell moved to Mercedes last year, replacing Valtteri Bottas. Despite being pitted against seven-time F1 champion Hamilton, the young Brit rose to the challenge. He not only clinched his first career pole position and race victory in Hungary and Sao Paulo respectively but also finished above his teammate in the Drivers' Championship.

In an interview with Bild, Massa backed Russell to eventually challenge for the title, saying:

“I trust him to do that [eventually challenge for the title]. Don’t forget: last year, in his first season at Mercedes, he left Lewis behind in the World Championship. An incredible achievement. Before that, only Nico Rosberg in 2016 had achieved this in Lewis’ entire career. George is a top driver.”