Toto Wolff praises a ‘flawless’ Mercedes driver ahead of F1 Chinese Grand Prix

Mercedes saw their 2025 Formula 1 season get off to an incredible start at the Australian Grand Prix, with George Russell finishing third to secure the team’s first podium of the season and rookie Kimi Antonelli finishing less than two seconds behind him, placing fourth in his F1 debut.

Now the team heads to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix level on points with McLaren at the top of the Constructors’ Championship standings. While Lando Norris’ win in Melbourne gives McLaren the tiebreaker in the standings, this was a strong start for the Silver Arrows.

Still, Team Principal Toto Wolff balanced the “positives” from Australia with a “healthy dose of realism” when previewing the Chinese Grand Prix.

“We leave Australia with many positives but also a healthy dose of realism as to where we stand in the pecking order,” declared the Mercedes boss in the team’s media preview. “The W16 provided a stable platform for the drivers, was less prone to swings in performance relative to the conditions than its predecessor, and at moments, showed strong enough pace to challenge at the front.

“It’s clear we have taken a good step forward over the winter. Our focus is now on unlocking more potential and adding performance. We are excited for that challenge.”

Wolff was still rather effusive in his praise for the team, and both drivers, starting with Russell.

“George drove a flawless race, pushing when he needed to, managing his pace to capitalise on the podium and taking advantage of the opportunities when they presented themselves,” Wolff said. “A top performance and just underlies his speed, maturity and intelligence.”

As for the newest Mercedes F1 driver? The rookie handled what Wolff described as a “treacherous” track as well as he could.

“For Kimi, he could not have asked for a more difficult task on his Grand Prix debut: starting out of position, facing extremely difficult conditions and, at times, a treacherous track,” began Wolff.

”Nevertheless, he handled everything that was thrown at him with a maturity beyond his years. His speed when in free air was impressive and his confidence and decisiveness when overtaking were superb,” added the Mercedes boss. “There will be challenging moments for him across the season, but we are pleased with the trajectory we are seeing from him already. P4 was a just reward.”

Last year was a bit of a mixed bag for Mercedes in Shanghai. Lewis Hamilton qualified second for the F1 Sprint and held onto that spot in the F1 Sprint race, while Russell finished eighth to give Mercedes double points in that event.

However, Hamilton was eliminated in Q1 during qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, and while he delivered a strong recovery drive on Sunday, it was only good for ninth. As for Russell, he qualified eighth on Saturday and managed to pick up a few spots to finish sixth.

“We now head to Shanghai and look forward to returning to China after what was a remarkable Grand Prix last year. You could sense the passion and energy from the fans as F1 returned to the country for the first time in five years,” said Wolff. “As the world’s largest automotive market, and one of the world’s biggest economies, China is crucial to the sport’s global footprint.

“I am sure this year will see another great event.”