Russell overjoyed with ‘one of my best weekends in F1’ after Chinese GP podium finish

Mercedes driver George Russell was all smiles after the Chinese Grand Prix, with the Briton making it back-to-back podium finishes in 2025 thanks to his third place behind McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Russell started Sunday’s race at the Shanghai International Circuit from second on the grid, having delivered a stunning late lap in Qualifying to split the McLaren machines – giving him and the team hope of a victory push.

READ MORE: Piastri beats Norris and Russell to victory in Chinese Grand Prix with statement performance

While McLaren ultimately proved to be a “smidge quicker”, Russell took plenty of positives from his third-place result – as well as his and the team’s wider weekend performance, which included a solid fourth in the Sprint.

“It’s a great result finishing P3, especially in front of all these fans here – there’s been amazing support for everybody this year,” he said after hopping out of the car in front of the packed main grandstand.

“It was a really great race, and I’m really pleased with P3. We knew McLaren were a smidge quicker than us, so well done to those two [Piastri and Norris].”

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from the Chinese GP as Piastri takes victory

As for the key strategic question of whether to pit once or twice across the 56-lap encounter, Russell commented: “I felt it from quite early on that a one-stop could be possible, and it turned out to be slightly easier than we probably all anticipated.

“Nevertheless, the car’s been great this weekend. It’s probably one of my best weekends in F1 in terms of the overall performance, so I’m really pleased with that – just maximising every single time we’re out on track.”

After losing out to Norris on the first lap, Russell briefly reclaimed P2 during the pit stop phase, only to fall back behind next time around, while he also had to fend off a charging Charles Leclerc to keep his spot on the podium.

Sharing his insight into those moments, he added: “Charles was putting me under quite a lot of pressure for a few laps after the pit stop. Obviously, it was a bit dicey with Lando for a few laps, but from there on in it was quite a straightforward race.”

DRIVER OF THE DAY: Antonelli gets your nod after scoring despite damage in China

Russell’s team mate, Kimi Antonelli, added to Mercedes’ points haul with a run to eighth position, having nursed floor damage on his car from the opening lap of the race.