Mercedes overtakes Red Bull for P2 in championship: 'Hard to believe'

Mercedes has overtaken Red Bull Racing in the battle for the constructors' championship. Despite the fact that Red Bull has the faster car, Mercedes can take advantage of the team's reliability problems. George Russell can't believe it.

At the Australian Grand Prix, Russell secured his first podium at Mercedes. Due to Max Verstappen 's retirement, he finished in P3 ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. Despite falling behind, the team once again benefited from the mistakes of others, leaving Mercedes on P2 in the constructors' championship.

"Someone told me and it was hard to believe. This is a championship based on results and not on performance. If we want to keep that position we have to find more performance in the car. I believe my team back at the factory can do that, but it's going to take a lot of time," Russell told the Sky Sports camera.

Russell knows despite the positive result, Mercedes still has a long way to go. Ferrari and Red Bull will also continue to develop their car. "We have to have faith in the process. We see that there is a lot of potential in the car. We have excess weight, but also too little downforce due to porpoising. Our rivals will also improve."