Track surface changes key to surprise Singapore GP win – Russell

George Russell said Mercedes were unexpectedly competitive in Singapore because of the changes to the track surface ahead of this year’s race.

Mercedes have tended to struggle when track surface temperatures have been high this year. Singapore sees some of the hottest race day conditions of the season.

After taking pole position in qualifying yesterday, Russell said he expected Singapore would not suit their car. He went on to score a commanding victory in the race, pulling out a clear lead in the early stages.

The Marina Bay track was resurfaced in eight places ahead of this year’s race. Russell thinks that was the change which made it suit their car better.

“There’s been less tyre overheating this year compared to years gone by,” he said. “I think it’s a track that in the past had major overheating, but with some of the corners having new Tarmac, it’s a bit smoother.

“The tyres seem a little bit more robust this year. It was all just in a bit of a nicer window, but nevertheless, it was still quite a surprise.”

Russell appeared to face a serious threat from Max Verstappen at the start of the race. While Russell chose the medium tyre compound for the start, Verstappen opted for softs.

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However Verstappen wasn’t able to use the greater grip they offered to get ahead of Russell. “When I saw Max on the Soft tyres, I knew I just needed to stay ahead of him at turn one,” said Russell.

“But the opening laps were really strong and I know Max was probably managing those softs more than I was managing my mediums.”

Russell admitted the last-lap crash which cost him a place on the podium in 2023 played on his mind during the race.

“Pulling a 10-second gap in 20-something laps was really great,” he said. “From that moment on, I just knew it was [about] bringing it home and watching out for the wall at turn 10.”

Red Bull’s decision to put Verstappen on softs “was a smart move from those guys,” Russell added, “because if Max jumped me at turn one, to be honest I think he would have won the race, because overtaking was so challenging.

“You saw Lando [Norris] was definitely the quickest guy out there and he just couldn’t pass Max. He was within a second every single lap.

“So if Lando couldn’t get past, I doubt we would have been able to achieve it. So it was crucial that we nailed the start. It’s been a strong point of mine this year, so I’m glad we did.”

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2025 Singapore Grand Prix

• McLaren’s pit problems strike again – three of their last four stops were slow
• Track surface changes key to surprise Singapore GP win – Russell
• Norris defends first lap move on Piastri: ‘If you fault me, you shouldn’t be in F1’
• Ferrari warned Hamilton not to cut corners. He claimed it was “force majeure”
• McLaren satisfied first-lap incident between Norris and Piastri was “just hard racing”

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