George Russell is maintaining a careful outlook despite Mercedes showing promise during second practice at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The Mercedes driver recorded the fastest time, barely edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris by 0.028 seconds, while setting his best lap on medium tyres, with Norris unable to surpass it even on soft tyres.

Mercedes Shows Early Pace in Cooler Conditions

Russell’s teammate, rookie driver Kimi Antonelli, also impressed by placing third fastest, reinforcing Mercedes’ strong performance as the weekend began. Before the race, Mercedes had hoped that the cooler weather conditions in Canada would allow their W16 challenger to perform better, especially since the team has struggled with hotter temperatures earlier in the season.

These expectations seemed to hold true on Friday, as the cooler track allowed Mercedes to be competitive. However, Russell remains wary of getting ahead of themselves given the uncertainties still to come.

Russell Reflects on the Team’s Position and Challenges Ahead

After topping the timesheets, Russell expressed cautious optimism, noting,

“It might be my first time top of the leaderboard all year!”

and described the day as “a very positive day.” He acknowledged the favorable conditions saying the track‘s smooth surface and cooler temperatures helped keep the tyres from overheating, an area where their car usually faces difficulty.

Russell added,

“We know our weakness, which is when it’s hot we struggle. When it’s cold and the tyres run cold, we’re pretty competitive.”

Despite the encouraging pace, he emphasized that Mercedes will continue to push to make the most of this weekend’s conditions. He reflected on his performance, stating that his lap was “really strong today, probably optimised” and that there was “nothing more in the tank” with

“full beans, power and all the rest.”

Maintaining a pragmatic perspective, Russell concluded,

“You’ve got to be a little bit realistic. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. It’ll be interesting.”

Previous Success at the Canadian Grand Prix

Russell arrives in Montreal with strong past results, having claimed pole position at last year’s Canadian Grand Prix and secured a third-place finish in the race. These achievements add to the expectations surrounding his performance this weekend, even as he remains measured about Mercedes’ potential.