George Russell was the only Mercedes driver to finish the race in Zandvoort, ending fourth at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix. Despite the result looking strong on paper, Russell expressed frustration, citing damage, poor pace, and missed opportunities that ruined his Sunday.
Russell finished just five seconds off the podium after a chaotic race with three Safety Cars and a Virtual Safety Car. Starting from fifth, he lost a place to Charles Leclerc at the start and struggled to regain ground. His early ‘free’ pit stop under Safety Car briefly helped him leapfrog the Ferrari, but that advantage quickly faded.
Russell Suffers Damage After Clash with Leclerc
Leclerc forced his way past Russell with an aggressive move into Turn 12, leaving the Mercedes man with car damage. Team orders soon followed, asking Russell to let teammate Kimi Antonelli through, something Russell questioned on the radio.
“I take zero satisfaction in finishing P4 after that race to be honest,” Russell said. “It was a bad start, poor driving from my side. Then Charles passed me, then the pace was bad, then obviously the damage after the incident with Charles. Because of the damage I lost one second per lap, so it was just really not fun at all, and very lucky to finish in P4.”
The stewards investigated but ruled the clash a racing incident. Russell later regained positions when Antonelli and Leclerc collided, with the Ferrari retiring and Antonelli penalized. However, the damage on Russell’s car meant he could not chase down Isack Hadjar, who claimed his maiden F1 podium.
Mercedes Driver Looks Ahead to Monza Challenge
“You hope when you return [from summer break] that it’s going to be a bit more plain sailing but Formula 1 is never like that,” Russell added. “But the fact is the gaps between a lot of the teams now are very tight, and when you come to a track like this where overtaking is very difficult, that track position is vital.”
Despite inheriting fourth, Russell said he “didn’t deserve” the finish and congratulated Hadjar on his “amazing job.” With Monza up next, Russell will have little time to regroup before the Italian Grand Prix.
Stay tuned for all the latest Sports News, follow Todaysmatchprediction on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
