SIMPLY THE BENZ

TITLE favourite George Russell will start the new Formula One campaign off the back of the best pre-season he has experienced at Mercedes.

- BY DANIEL MOXON

TITLE favourite George Russell will start the new Formula One campaign off the back of the best preseason he has experienced at Mercedes.

The Silver Arrows had won eight constructors' titles in a row when he joined from Williams in 2022.

But the cars Mercedes have given him over the past four years have been too slow, limiting Russell to only five Grand Prix wins. They are widely tipped to be the team to beat this year, though Russell has spent much of his preseason downplaying the hype.

But he admitted ahead of Sunday's Melbourne curtain-raiser that he has never seen Mercedes (above) in a better place.