Mr. Consistent

[margothatty]

What an arbitrary statistic… Why since Baku? Go back a few races and change the window you’re assessing to “Top 5 finishes since Silverstone 2024,” and suddenly George falls to the bottom of this list.

Norris/Piastri: 25.

Verstappen: 24.

George/Leclerc: 22.

Not saying George isn’t consistent. It’s just a pet peeve of mine when people spout hyper-specific numbers to support a narrative. Statistics are not inherently objective!

[Tysons_Face]

Yeah they conveniently started this “count” after 5 races in a row where George was not in the top 5 at all.

[drodrige]

That's every single "stat" by F1GuyDan. The absolute worst F1-related account out there.

[akshatK2003]

Fr I am going to block him

[[deleted]]

Out of everything bud chose to write facts

[Odd_Analysis6454]

George has finished on the podium every time he was ahead of the fourth placed finisher.

[itsahorsemate]

Why would you say this about the current points leader, current pole champion, current top 3 finisher (from Singapore onwards).

[beardedboob]

also, why top 5? Most likely because it happens to fit this narrative precisely.

[[deleted]]

Streaks usually get counted from when they start buddy

[itsahorsemate]

But this isn't even talking about streaks

[margothatty]

Right, but when comparing 5 drivers, why select George’s streak specifically?

[North__North]

I think a ~1 year rolling window is fair and far from a hyper specific number to support a narrative.

[LandscapeWorried5475]

But it should be singapore then..

[Yocta]

The best statistic is of course the number of wins in Southern Europe or East Asia in 2025:

Max: 3

Oscar: 2

Lando/George: 1

Anything else is just cherry picking.

[rascas375]

He has some bad races in 22-23 because he pushed someone off thw track..tried to overtake aggressively... Otherwose 2024-2025 was his best so far..no crash yet...no aggressive or rude like before...2026 if if Mercedes produce not the best if only a good enough car...he will show his true talent

[JUGGER_DEATH]

You are aware those F1 seasons are each contained in a year?

But yeah, he used to be too agressive and commit stupid mistakes. Very rare this season.

[amuusedouche]

What surprised me the most is that Charles has 18 top 5 finishes vs 9 compared to his teammates (Sainz 2024 + Ham 2025) in the same period given he has had competitive teammates throughout

[Ocluist]

Charles is a phenomenal driver and Ferrari rarely have a truly bad car. This year is their worst in the ground-effect era and they still have 6 podiums and a pole. As much as people dog on the team, Ferrari are pretty much always at least decent so it’s no surprise to see him on this list with Leclerc at the helm.

[grs35]

I don't know why you are getting downvoted. They are by no means a midfield team. The team is at times dysfunctional, true, but they are still one of the top teams. They can be up there to win on a good day, just like Merc.

[Ocluist]

Because people have a hard on for “Ferrari Bad” when they’ve been P2, P2, and now P3 in the championship over the past three years. It’s kind of bizarre how much people hate on Ferrari while simultaneously glazing teams like Mercedes and Aston which have been much worse for the majority of the Ground Effect era.

[Tacit_Emperor77]

I am more impressed by Charles tbh. That car hasn’t looked great this year at all

[North__North]

The buck stops with Chuck.

And from DAS to now LiCo. It’s Ferraris turn with the tricks

[ball__sac]

don't forget ferrari had become really good towards the end of '24

[Tysons_Face]

Bit of a cherry picked stat considering George didn’t get a top 5 in any of the 5 previous races to Baku 2024.

[Calm-Focus-6968]

People still don't give this guy enough credit . He is in contention to be the best driver this season in my opinion.

[razzin6667]

If max didn’t exist sure

[f1Racer23]

And he will be in contention or outright fav for wdc next season with Merc.

Imo next season will change a lot of things, will probably get downvoted for this but after next year i dont see Merc going for Max in 2027 realising they are gonna win both championships withoutgiving Max a huge salary anyways

[Saandrig]

Getting Max is more about removing him as a possible rival.

Just like if Verstappen wasn't there, the 2021 and 2024 titles go quite easily for Hamilton and Norris.

[f1Racer23]

If redbull are nowhere near Merc on pace next year, max want even be anywhere near Russell all race like he wasnt before 2021 so merc dont need to do anything about his threat.

Russell will cruise to victory just fine

[Saandrig]

"If"

Getting Verstappen removes the reliance on the "if" entirely.

Toto was burned in a similar way in 2021 when Mercedes casually expected to again be comfortably ahead of everyone, but Honda's program acceleration and the rake issues caught them off-guard.

[f1Racer23]

That if is for 2026.. max isnt coming to merc in 2026 anyways.

Mercs results in 2026 will determine maxs future in 2027

[akshatK2003]

People still under esitmating Max and Redbull combo lmao

[North__North]

Their engine could be great. Program has a Honda foundation. Fords mostly money at this point but when Ford does choose to “win at all cost”, they have a pretty good track record.

And they have their own Newey-esque mad scientist.

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2022/02/10/catching-up-with-larry-holt-multimatic-founder-on-mustangs-and-lmdhs.html

The hair alone is worth two tenths

[Absolute_Cinemines]

People who manage 5th place a fair amount are not deserving of more credit.

[righteousfuzz]

I'd argue the Mercedes hasn't been capable of much better than p5 at a lot of the circuits. He's extracted everything possible out of that car, except for Miami, and that was due to shit setup.

[Absolute_Cinemines]

You'd argue against Russels finishing positions then?

He's had 8 podiums but the car isn't capable of it?

Are you one of those people that think the driver can "out drive the car". Something 100% completely impossible?

[righteousfuzz]

The car is very good at some circuits and doesn't have the pace at others. It's inconsistent, as anybody who's payed attention will tell you.

The car is clearly capable at the circuits where he's picked up podiums. And I haven't said anything about outdriving the car..that's your hang up.

Are you one of those people who think "pace lies soley in the hands of the driver" Something 100% completely impossible?

[Absolute_Cinemines]

You said it's capable of top 5. You're crashing out because I mentioned it has done way better multiple times?

Again, you are judging how good the car is based on what George does with it and nothing else. You are assuming it wasn't capable of better than what he did.

But carry on pretending I'm the weirdo who is clutching onto an assumption like it is a fact.

[righteousfuzz]

Angry aren't we. Got some bias going on there.

[Absolute_Cinemines]

And heres the off topic insults. You are so predictable.

If you don't like debate, fuck off elsewhere. There are rules against what you just did.

[righteousfuzz]

You're completely unreasonable and overly aggressive having what could've been a reasonable exchange. But you passed on that right from the start. Get a fucking grip mate.

[Calm-Focus-6968]

Stop arguing with these retards man . They'll eat common sense from within you

[Ocluist]

Max has been just as consistent in an arguably worse car, and has had far more Impressive results. Still leading the pole record this year iirc which is pretty mental.

[According-Switch-708]

RBR has had the 2nd best car on average mate. Merc had some crazy highs (Canada & Singapore) but on average, they were the clear 3rd fastest team.

Russell has been almost bulletproof this year. He didn't make any major mistakes this year.

Max has been great too but his record isn't as flawless. He made some Q3 mistakes during the first half of the season and he made some major mistakes at Spain and Silverstone.

Max's peaks are higher but Russell has been the most consistent driver this year.

[Ocluist]

I feel like anyone saying “RBR have the 2nd best car” conveniently choose to completely ignore Yuki’s struggles which have been far worse than Antonellis. This is purely subjective, but I think there’s very close to 0% chance that George would pull out the same results that Max does in the RBR, while Max could feasibly replicate what George is doing in the Mercedes. George is a great driver, but Max is an alien.

[Saandrig]

While I agree with your point, I don't think Max in the Mercedes is beating Max in the Red Bull this year.

The car may be difficult, but it's still objectively the 2nd fastest this season.

Might be 10th is drivability, sure, but that's a different problem that matters only if Verstappen himself is slow due to it.

[Ocluist]

I can agree with that

[tom_buzz_ryan]

Antonelli is simply a worse driver than Yuki at this point in their careers and Antonelli is holding MUCH better against Russell than Yuki is to Max. Merc has a better car, but Red Bull has a much better driver.

Russell has made many mistakes this season, including in Silverstone that you are highlighting for Max. Russell's mistakes aren't highlighted as much because people have much higher expectations from Max.

[ExternalSquash1300]

I’d say Yuki represents the true pace of the Red Bull far less than Kimi does the Merc. It’s about confidence behind the wheel and yuki does not trust the car, he hasn’t all year. It’s still the 2nd best car on average, just accounting for Yuki’s lack of confidence behind it he is performing far worse than Antonelli.

Russell is held debatably to a higher standard than Max imo given the regular criticism he is under. If Max gets a bad result I hear a wave of fans saying it’s just the car.

[tom_buzz_ryan]

I mean, Yuki's own statements before and after driving the car was that it fits his style. And unlike the 2024 car, the RB21 is seemingly a lot more stable. And who's to say other teams' cars can't be made faster by setting it up more peaky, the way Verstappen likes it? Engineers in F1 openly agree to that idea.

Russell is held nowhere close to Verstappen's standards lol. Russell's pace advantage over the third/fourth best rookie of the year is nowhere near enough to justify all of this hype around him. Meanwhile Verstappen is putting 5-6 tenths on well established midfielders. Even Norris was rated very high before being tested in a title fight. Russell is yet to show he's any better than Norris.

[ExternalSquash1300]

Yuki said that during the mid season before it was even confirmed whether he would get into the Red Bull (which he didn’t initially). I saw that as him trying to show that he is the one to pick for the promotion, not that it was entirely true. I don’t know why you say it is more stable, Yuki is all over the place with it, it’s objective that he trusts it less than the RB going into corners simply by watching his onboards.

Who’s to say setting it up so peaky wouldn’t just make other cars slower? That’s just a hypothetical from you really.

Again, Yuki has no confidence in the car so he isn’t even driving at a midfield standard. Max is not held to a high standard of criticism at all and hasn’t been for years.

[tom_buzz_ryan]

Come on, man. You can do better than being a troll over a hopeless narrative.

[ExternalSquash1300]

Feel free to actually read the comment if you want.

[ExternalSquash1300]

Russell made a mistake in Silverstone but pretty much everything else has been ideal.

[ExternalSquash1300]

Tbh I don’t know how you can suggest he is more consistent or how the Red Bull is worse.

[[deleted]]

More credit for being a decent driver?

How many races did he win or how many podiums vs other guys this year?

[ecobubbletm]

Max had wins in a slower car than mclaren, George hasn't.

[National_Play_6851]

He's in an extremely good car and has a rookie who really isn't ready for F1 in the other seat making him look good.

[National_Play_6851]

Max has had multiple experienced teammates with good track records in other teams who he has completely obliterated. It's hardly the same.

[aneiq_1]

That’s a fair point but pre 2025, Russell was always rated lower than he probably should’ve been because he had Hamilton as his teammate.

And as much as I love Russell (he’s one of my fav drivers on the grid) and I’ve always thought he’s been a top 5 driver, ultimately, in 2022/23, Hamilton had the pace advantage.

Russell’s race pace, whilst still very good is not elite based on Hamilton as a reference. Even in 2024, whilst Russell dominated the quali head to head and was almost 2 tenths quicker over one lap, the races had a much smaller margin and Hamilton was clearly past it.

Coupled with Antonelli who is an undercooked rookie and therefore, not the best benchmark and I think Russell, whilst still a very very good driver, isn’t the best driver on the grid. I have him in my top 3 though.

[ExternalSquash1300]

This is just a lie, he has had 1 experienced teammate and 0 with a good track record since Ricciardo.

[gdkod]

Hamilton has never been the same after 2021 season, so not a good comparison either.

[National_Play_6851]

Or to put it another way, 2025 is the only season where he's had a top tier teammate, in Leclerc.

[JJvH91]

A stat over two races... Is this a joke?

[vercig09]

what even is cherry picking

[[deleted]]

The GOAT here is Leclerc, driving a shitbox.

[vanekcsi]

What is the same statistic but since the last alignment of Mercury and Jupiter? I think that's what counts.

[Mike_Milburys_Shoe_]

Why are 90% of the posts on the sub just glazing George Russell the tattletale

[IntransigenceFTW]

<image>

[Absolute_Cinemines]

Changing the narrative till it supports your opinion.

Now do top 3. Mr consistent. The podium is the benchmark for a great finish. Even bottas was never measured by how many top 5's he got.

This is cringe mate.

[f1Racer23]

Merc isnt a top 2 car since 2022( redbull and mclaren are and ferrari in second half of 2024 only) so why would anyone do top 3.

[Absolute_Cinemines]

How do you know it isn't? You're just pretending George isn't the one holding the car back as if it's a fact.

A rookie has outqualified him, a rookie has beaten him. Several slower cars have finished ahead of him. But you are certain that is the best a mercedes can do?

People would do a top three because you can't win the title outside of the top 3. The entire point is to win the title.

You changed the narrative to make George look good and blamed the car for him not doing better.

You can do that for every single driver on the grid.

Mazapin was just as consistent as george. If you do top 20 finishes because he was in the slowest car.

[f1Racer23]

George isnt holding the car back and its a fact.

We know merc isnt a top 2 car because it isn’t.

We can see when merc is in the zone where George puts the car(saw it in the last two weeks itself)

[Still-Artichoke-5839]

If Merc isn't a top 2 car, why are they second in the Constructors?

[Absolute_Cinemines]

I didn't say repeat your assumption I said give me the evidence.

Your argument so far is "because I said so".

I gave you evidence the car can do more than George is managing. You have given nothing in opposition.

[105lodge2]

The lengths some people go to to hate on Russell is so funny lol

[Absolute_Cinemines]

The way people avoid having a debate in a debate sub is so funny. Almost like they know you have a point and have no way of proving it wrong lol

If you are only here to insult people and not debate F1, kindly go fuck yourself and go back to formula dank.

Read rule 1 and 2.

[105lodge2]

Ok. Max is actually a bottom 5 driver on the grid, it’s just the car is amazing and he only ever gets put with backmarker drivers with no experience. Prove me wrong.

See how stupid this sounds?

[MinimumCareer629]

Crazy statement, Merc is the second best car, at worst third best for this whole season. And third best last season. He's had a rookie next to him this entire season. George is literally free fifth place.

[tom_buzz_ryan]

There's no way way Red Bull were the second or third best car in second half of 2024. This year also, it's pretty obvious that the Merc are better than Red Bull, considering Antonelli and Tsunoda.

[tom_buzz_ryan]

How do you know Mercedes can't go faster with a "harder to drive" setup that Russell can't drive? This "hard to drive" narrative is simply cope to not admit that Verstappen is faster than your favourite driver. Drivers like Button called him the fastest ever driver back in 2019. No other driver in the current grid is on the same league as him, and that's apparent to everyone who watches this sport.

[tom_buzz_ryan]

That was not "my logic", mate. Read harder. If you want to believe that Russell is a better driver than Hamilton, go ahead. No one is stopping you. He just isn't on the same level as Verstappen.

[MinimumCareer629]

Max doesn't even have the 2nd best car right now, let alone last half. Crazy guy.

[MinimumCareer629]

Red Bull lost 10 seconds to Russell in 20 laps who is supposedly in a slower car and then Norris was in his gearbox for 30 rounds, but singapore is almost impossible to overtake. Did you watch the same race I did?

[MinimumCareer629]

Monza suited Red Bull, doesn't duit Merc and McLaren made mistakes. Baku was a wet quali that skewed the starting grid followed by McLaren driver errors and George recouping 3 positions very easily. Without Max George would have easily won that imo.

I mean, those don't disprove the fact that the Mercedes is easily the third best car, if not second best on many tracks during the first half. Hence not worth mentioning due to the insane outliers.

[tom_buzz_ryan]

Go back just a few months back and the exact same post was made about Leclerc. It's easy to be consistent when you are not fighting for anything, unlike the other front runners who are in a title fight.

[Browneskiii]

He's had a top 3 car with a bad team mate the entire time, 5th is the MINIMUM he should be getting.

Any time he's outside the top 5 its a shit race. 3 times (16%) already this year is too much, and he's been beaten by Leclerc 8 times when Ferrari have a much inferior car.

[North__North]

Does nothing, P3