Russell admits to 'no pace dreadful’ race in Abu Dhabi

George Russell wrapped up his 2025 Formula 1 season with a performance he’d likely file under “delete from memory,” after a strangely lifeless Mercedes left him fighting shadows under the Yas Marina floodlights.

Fifth place on paper looked respectable; the reality, according to Russell, was anything but.

For Mercedes, the night was a mix of relief and frustration: P2 in the Constructors’ standings secured, but no sign of the pace that had flickered earlier in the weekend.

From Early Promise to Vanishing Speed

Russell had arrived on Sunday with every reason to believe he could mix it at the sharp end. He’d topped FP3, gone fastest again in the second segment of qualifying and lined up P4 with confidence brewing. Then the lights went out – and so did his car’s performance.

After slipping backwards at the start, he muscled back ahead of Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin, but Charles Leclerc quickly vanished into the distance, leaving Russell stranded in a lonely, powerless P5.

The final result masked what had been a baffling, bruising drive for Mercedes.

“A dreadful race, start to finish,” Russell admitted after climbing out of the W16. “We just had no pace – it was a bit odd. I was fifth, which is a result that was much better than the true picture.”

And the issues weren’t isolated to one side of the garage.

“Obviously Kimi being down in 15th is quite abnormal, for us as a team to be that far off,” he added.

Whatever momentum Mercedes carried into the weekend evaporated when it mattered most.

Relief In the Championship

Still, amid the disappointment, Russell and the team had at least ticked off a significant objective: holding on to P2 in the Constructors’ Championship by an 18-point margin over Red Bull.

It wasn’t flashy, but it was mission accomplished.

“I think you always want to end on a high, but we had a goal these last couple of race weekends, and that was just to secure P2 in the championship,” he said, acknowledging the bigger-picture win.

Yet the end of this competitive cycle couldn’t come soon enough for the Briton.

“I think we’re all very glad this era has come to a close, because it’s been a real challenging one for everyone bar McLaren and Red Bull, and we’re excited for a clean slate,” he said.

The wait for that reset won’t be long. Pre-season testing for Formula 1’s next rules revolution begins January 26 in Barcelona, where Russell and Mercedes will hope a new chapter brings far better speed –and far fewer “dreadful” Sundays.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook