Russell admits "sad reality" for Mercedes that "McLaren are in a league of their own"

Mercedes driver George Russell admits that Mercedes will have to deal with the "sad reality" that McLaren are "in a league of their own" at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Russell's Saturday ended with a bitter feeling after the Brit initially placed his Mercedes in second position, losing that place after a grid penalty. Nevertheless, the Mercedes driver is in good spirits for the Grand Prix around the Bahrain International Circuit.

Before it was allowed, Russell and teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli were sent from their pit box to the pit lane after the qualifying session was red-flagged. Russell was penalised with a one-place drop for this.

Russell ready for battle in Bahrain

Nonetheless, he says Saturday "was a great day" while speaking at the pre-race parade.

"And I hope to fight for the podium, just like Charles [Leclerc] said. It will be a battle between us, and Max will have a strong day today, and McLaren is in a class of its own.

"I'm hoping to fight for the podium. I think, similar to what Charles said, it's going to be a fight between us guys. I'm sure Max is going have a stronger day today, and realistically, we know McLaren are at a league of our own, so we need to accept that sad reality right now and try and maximise it there thereafter.

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However, the Brit knows that there is plenty more that could happen during a Grand Prix: "Never say never, and if there's a chance, we'll, of course, be going for it. I think lap one's going to be our best opportunity. But I think, realistically, from lap one onwards, if Oscar stays in the lead, I think we'll be waving goodbye. They just seem so good at the tracks where there's a lot of overheating. We saw that last year in Singapore, where they absolutely dominated.

"If Japan and China were their worst case scenarios, they were still pretty damn good, and I think everyone's a bit fearful how strong they're going be. But we've got to keep on pushing, and we'll maximise the result, whatever that may be," concluded Russell.

This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen