George Russell was responsible for proving himself wrong at the Chinese Grand Prix, where his qualifying lap split the McLarens on Saturday. Mercedes star Russell has been talking up McLaren’s dominance since the start of the season, leading to backlash from Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Russell’s bold claims include McLaren holding a bigger advantage than Red Bull ever have, saying their car should win every race, and that they could switch their full attention to developing for 2026 if they wanted to. Norris hit back before qualifying, when he said: “It’s very good – we have got the best car – but the fact he’s been so much ‘season’s over’ after one race is a bit weird. George thinks he can play a lot of games but I don’t fall for any of them.”
After finishing fourth in a sprint race which was won by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, with Piastri finishing second and Norris ninth, Russell added further proof that McLaren are not as dominant as he says they are by splitting them in qualifying.
The Englishman’s final lap in Q3 was less than a tenth behind pole-sitter Piastri and enough to knock Norris off the front row. Afterwards, he admitted his shock at looking up to the timings board after ruining McLaren’s one-two.
“It feels incredible,” Russell told Sky Sports. “It was one of the hardest quali sessions I’ve done in a long, long time. I was trying all sorts with my tyre preparation and nothing seemed to be clicking. I did something totally different on that last lap and everything came alive.
“The lap was awesome. I was really surprised when I crossed the line. It’s going to be tough [for the Grand Prix]. We know the McLarens are going to be quick but I’m going to be doing everything I can to stay where I am or jump ahead of them.”
Norris kicked the season off with a win at the Australian Grand Prix last weekend. But he has so far found things tough in China, and he doubled down on the idea that his MCL39 is not as perfect as others may think it is.
“I’ve said plenty of times that it’s difficult to drive,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s still quick enough, it can just be a bit feisty at times. Today it was just mistakes from my side and that’s all.
“It’s always disappointing not to be on pole but Oscar deserves it today and I’m happy for him. I was struggling a lot yesterday [in free practice] and this morning [in the sprint]. I’m not too disappointed.”
