George Russell Acknowledges Red Bull as F1's New Benchmark

George Russell has identified Red Bull as the new standard in Formula 1, although his teammate Kimi Antonelli pointed out that this perception is partly due to Mercedes not fully utilizing its recent upgrades.

During the recent Asian triple-header, Max Verstappen from Red Bull performed notably well, finishing just behind Russell in Baku before securing wins in Malaysia and Singapore. Red Bull introduced a significant upgrade for its RB22 in Baku, which contributed to its improved performance.

Mercedes faced challenges with its W17 upgrade, which did not yield immediate results in Malaysia due to the circuit's rough surface. In Singapore, Russell used the older specification while Antonelli tested the new one, leading to insights about the upgrade's potential, albeit within a narrow operational window. Antonelli expressed optimism about future performance improvements as the team prepares for the upcoming United States Grand Prix.