Mercedes tipped to be ahead of Ferrari “early on” as George Russell prediction made
Mercedes look like they could be McLaren's nearest challenger at the first race in Australia.
Mercedes could be set to start the 2025 F1 season as the second-fastest team, ahead of Ferrari, according to Sky Sports expert Ted Kravitz.
Mercedes enjoyed three great days of testing at the Bahrain International Circuit last week.
It seemed that the W16 was performing as expected.
The car looked benign on track, with no nasty moments mid-corner for either George Russell or Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
They were a close match for Ferrari during the race simulations on day two of testing, with Antonelli and Charles Leclerc within a tenth of each other.
Given Antonelli’s lack of experience of doing long runs in the 2025 car on 2025 Pirelli tyres, it was thought that Mercedes would have potentially been a tenth or two ahead of Ferrari had Russell been in the car.
Taking this into account, Kravitz believes Russell has a “great chance” of finishing third at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, behind the two McLarens.
“I would say that George Russell has got a great chance of being third,” Kravitz said.
“That Mercedes is quick. Watch out for Kimi Antonelli. 18-year-old Italian driver, great to have an Italian back in Formula 1.
“While all the attention is on the man who went from Mercedes to Ferrari, there might be an Italian driver, not in a Ferrari, who manages to get on the podium. That Mercedes is quick.
“I would put it behind the McLarens in terms of where they are on the grid. Maybe, ahead of the Ferraris early on.”
A new era for Mercedes without Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes are embarking on a new era without Lewis Hamilton.
It will be their first season without the British driver since 2012 following his seismic switch to Maranello.
Even without Hamilton, Russell feels ready to lead the team forward after a breakthrough 2024 season.
Russell had the edge on Hamilton throughout last year, particularly in qualifying.
Russell became the first teammate since Nico Rosberg in 2014 to out-qualify Hamilton across an entire campaign.
He was also able to convert this into a number of impressive race drives, most notably dominating Las Vegas from pole position.
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
