Russell: Kimi and I have equal opportunities in the fight for the title.

      Before the start of the season, many called George Russell the favorite in the title fight, but after three races, he is nine points behind his young teammate, Kimi Antonelli. The British Mercedes driver is not worried about this and assures that in China and Japan he thought more about how to minimize losses related to external circumstances.

      George Russell: "Honestly, I'm not concerned about the current situation, as we have an incredibly long season. No title has ever been won after just three races. For me, it's much more important to achieve the best possible result every time.

      I'm not leading the standings, but if I recall how things unfolded in the last two races, I feel that I maximized my result and did everything I could. If things had gone a bit differently in Suzuka, I think I could have won the race. I believe that if it weren't for the safety car, I would have finished second behind Oscar Piastri. There were issues in qualifying in China. Potentially, I could have started from pole.

      If we look at things rationally, I have maximized my results this year. When my weekend goes smoothly, like in Melbourne, I know I have the potential to start from pole and win the race. So, I am disappointed after China and Japan, but such dips always happen at some point in the season, so I am glad that I was still able to earn enough points.

      The team will 100% provide Kimi and me with equal opportunities. It has always been this way at Mercedes, ever since the days of Lewis and Nico Rosberg. Of course, I hope that only the two of us will fight for the title, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. In 2022, after three races, Charles Leclerc was leading by more than thirty points, and Max Verstappen said that Ferrari was fast and the title fight was over. But then it turned out that this was not the case.

      I believe our team has chosen the right direction to work. We have good correlation, and in developing the car, we achieved all the goals we set. But everything can change.

      McLaren hasn't brought significant updates lately, but look at their speed in Suzuka. If it weren't for the safety car, Piastri would have won the race.

      So I approach each race as a separate event and don't think about the overall picture in the championship. I try to achieve the maximum in each race, and we'll count the points at the end of the season."