Russell: McLaren 'flying' and Mercedes' biggest threat in Austria

George Russell has identified McLaren as Mercedes' biggest threat at the Austrian Grand Prix, warning the Woking team was "flying" in FP2. Despite teammate Kimi Antonelli topping both Friday sessions at the Red Bull Ring, Russell believes McLaren's true pace was masked by disruption in FP1 and only became clear once running normalized.

Why it matters:

McLaren has made the Red Bull Ring a fortress, and Lando Norris arrives as the defending race winner. Russell's comments suggest Mercedes' Friday advantage could be fragile, setting up a genuine fight for victory if McLaren carries its speed into qualifying.

The details:

• Antonelli led both FP1 and FP2, with Russell second in the morning and sixth later on, giving Mercedes a strong headline position.
• Russell downplayed that advantage, noting FP1 was disrupted for most rivals. Norris barely ran, Lewis Hamilton hit trouble, and Max Verstappen faced setbacks, which flattered the Silver Arrows.
• In FP2, Norris set the early pace on medium tyres before Oscar Piastri closed to within 0.237 seconds of Antonelli's soft-tyre benchmark.
• Most concerning for Mercedes was McLaren's long-run pace. Russell admitted Norris's race simulation looked stronger than what the Brackley squad could manage.

What's next:

Mercedes must now figure out why its race trim lagged behind McLaren's before qualifying and Sunday's main event. With Norris proven at this circuit and McLaren showing strong one-lap and long-run pace, the battle for victory looks far more open than Friday's times first suggested.