George Russell won the Dutch Grand Prix Sprint at Zandvoort, but the Mercedes driver emerged from the race with a clear warning about Ferrari’s speed. After beating Charles Leclerc to victory, George Russell admitted that the Scuderia had looked “very fast” on race pace and revealed that Ferrari’s threat influenced the way he managed the closing stages.
The victory represented a welcome result for George Russell after a difficult recent spell, although the Mercedes driver admitted that the timing of the chequered flag proved important as rain began to arrive. Behind him, Charles Leclerc produced one of the Sprint’s few on-track overtakes to pass Lando Norris and claim second place for Ferrari.
“It’s a great start to the weekend for us. However, if the race had lasted even one more lap, it would have been a completely different story with the rain arriving. I’m really happy the chequered flag came out when it did,” George Russell said.
Lando Norris completed the podium in third after losing second place to Charles Leclerc. Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, ahead of Oscar Piastri, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who did not appear entirely comfortable during the Sprint.
George Russell says Ferrari was ‘very fast’ in Dutch GP Sprint
Despite taking the victory, George Russell placed particular emphasis on Ferrari’s performance. The Maranello team showed strong race pace around Zandvoort, with Charles Leclerc ultimately emerging as George Russell’s closest challenger after overtaking Lando Norris.
“It went well, but Ferrari looked very fast, so we know this afternoon will also be extremely difficult,” George Russell explained. “We knew Ferrari was strong, so we kept something in reserve for the end, and as soon as Charles overtook Lando we managed to pull away.”
Charles Leclerc’s charge to second provided another encouraging sign for Ferrari after the team had already shown competitive potential during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. The Monegasque’s move on Lando Norris was central to the Ferrari driver’s P2 finish in the Zandvoort Sprint.
George Russell also revealed that he had not realised Charles Leclerc was running the Soft tyre, something the Mercedes driver believes could provide useful information heading into the remainder of the weekend.
“I didn’t know Charles was on the Soft tyre. I learned something new, and that’s also surprising to hear. Obviously, that gives us another option for tomorrow,” George Russell said.
Tyre management proved crucial for George Russell
George Russell expected any significant action among the leading drivers to come towards the end of the short race, and that belief shaped his tyre management. Rather than pushing aggressively throughout, he paid particular attention to protecting the tyres through Zandvoort’s high-speed corners.
“I knew that if there were going to be overtakes in the leading group, they would mainly happen in the closing stages of the race,” George Russell explained. “I managed the tyres carefully through the high-speed corners so that I would have enough left at the end.”
Mercedes does not intend to make dramatic changes after the Sprint victory. George Russell believes only small adjustments are required before the next competitive sessions.
“We’ll make a few small set-up changes here and there on the car, but there’s no need to completely change anything major,” he added.
Ferrari, meanwhile, continues to develop the SF-26 throughout the Zandvoort weekend, including the latest floor, diffuser and floor-inlet developments introduced as part of its aerodynamic programme.
George Russell explains calm approach after Budapest start problem
The start was another potential concern for George Russell, particularly after his poor getaway in Budapest. However, the British driver insisted he felt no additional pressure because the Hungary problem had been technical rather than something within his control.
“No, I wasn’t nervous at all because in Hungary there had been a technical problem at the start and there was nothing I could have done about it,” George Russell said. “So we put some precautions in place to prevent it from happening again. I was pretty calm and relaxed, and I was excited to get back racing.”
The Sprint victory has nevertheless given George Russell additional confidence heading into the remainder of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, even if he expects the battle at the front to remain extremely tight.
“Confidence is definitely higher now than it was 24 hours ago, but we are so close,” George Russell continued. “Yesterday there was very little separating more than four drivers, and Kimi was quick as well, so there are probably six drivers who will be fighting for pole.”
The result also allowed George Russell to gain ground in the championship, moving him closer to both Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton in the updated 2026 Formula 1 driver standings.
Mercedes development race remains finely balanced
George Russell also addressed Mercedes’ development situation and the continuing upgrade battle between Formula 1’s leading teams. While he considers the Mercedes to have a competitive and fundamentally strong base, he does not want the team to compromise its planned timetable simply to accelerate new parts onto the car.
“I think we have a very competitive car with a very solid base,” George Russell said. “We clearly had a considerable advantage at the start of this season. Only time will tell whether we made the most of that advantage.”
“I don’t intend to compromise on the timing of implementing these upgrades on the car. We might be surprised to see our rivals also introducing their new developments. With the cost cuts in place nowadays, finding the right balance is a real challenge.”
For Mercedes, the Sprint victory confirmed the car’s competitiveness at Zandvoort. Yet George Russell’s repeated focus on Ferrari underlined how seriously he viewed the challenge from Charles Leclerc, with the Scuderia’s race pace ensuring that the Dutch Grand Prix weekend remains finely poised.
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