Shop
Mercedes has won three of the last four races to catapult itself back into contention at the front of the pack.
It comes after a slow start to the year, mirroring to an extent the upswing McLaren experienced a year ago.
The turning point appeared to come in Monaco, where a new front wing and floor were introduced, with Russell putting the W15 on pole at the Canadian Grand Prix.
He then won in Austria, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton victorious at the British Grand Prix.
At the flag, Mercedes enjoyed a one-two in Belgium before Russell was excluded when his car was found 1.5kg underweight – likely the result of tyre wear given the unexpected switch to a one-stop strategy.
But while Mercedes lost that result, it took nothing from the fact it was a match for McLaren and Red Bull Racing at the front of the race, when conditions suit.
“This season’s really been quite strange when we’ve been slightly off the pace in Austria and Barcelona,” Russell said following the Belgian GP.
“We didn’t have the answers then and when the pace was so exceptionally quick in Montreal and Silverstone, we had some ideas why it was quick but not to the magnitude that it was.
“So, for sure, we think there’s some correlation with the temperature.
“It’s obviously not the warmest here. There was a bit of cloud cover, so I think that is probably still the correlation we’re seeing.”
It still marks a step change for Mercedes, which has struggled to be consistently competitive since the end of 2021.
Russell had handed the team its only win from the end of that season until his win in Austria, a far cry from the domination the squad endured during the previous regulation cycle.
“I think for all of us, It’s been a difficult couple of years getting the car into a place where we can consistently fight for victories,” said Russell.
“I’m so motivated, so excited for the second half of the season, which is ultimately building up towards 2025.
“And when you look at the competition now, you know, there’s no reason why we can’t fight.
“If the season started in Montreal, the championship standings would be looking very, very different.”
Mercedes remains fourth in the constructors’ championship, though since Canada, it has been the second-highest-scoring team behind McLaren.
It trails Ferrari by 79 points but has scored 77 more than the Scuderia in the last six races alone.
Were it not for Russell’s exclusion, those figures would be sharply different, too.
The silver lining is that, by sitting fourth, Mercedes has greater development freedoms, theoretically allowing it to further close the gap.
Though more than third in the constructors’ championship is highly unlikely given its deficit to McLaren and Red Bull Racing, it sets up an enthralling 2025 campaign with three or more teams in contention from the outset.
“It’s going to be great,” Russel ventured.
“There’s so much motivation from all the other teams to get back to the front, from McLaren, from Ferrari, from ourselves.
“It’s not going to be easy.
“Hopefully we see a good fight on our hands into next year.”
