Russell unmoved by lack of attention: "Things change quickly"

George Russell has played down suggestions he is overlooked as a Formula 1 title contender but warned "things change quickly".

The Mercedes driver has made a fine start to the year as Mercedes' senior driver following Lewis Hamilton's switch to Ferrari, finishing third in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix and taking the same result in China.

Those results have left him third in the drivers' standings and a point off Max Verstappen in second, yet the Dutchman is the only driver seemingly in contention for the title alongside the two McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri - if people are to be believed.

The Hamilton effect

Asked whether he felt he was not taken into consideration as a title contender despite his results, Russell told media ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix: "Ultimately, from my side, I’m just going in every single weekend trying to perform to the maximum.

"These last three years as well, alongside Lewis – his name was always there with championships because he’s the GOAT. But the last three years, neither of our names were there because we weren’t in the position to fight.

"Look, this season it’s been a great start to the year. I don’t think we could have achieved a better result than we expected, and I hope we can continue this sort of run of consistency.

"But we know realistically the McLarens are exceptionally strong, and I think it’s going to be challenging for anybody else to compete with them. But you know, we saw last year how dominant Red Bull were, and suddenly they weren’t at the end of the season.

"So yeah, things change quickly."