SINGAPORE — George Russell has revealed he was dealing with "a lot" behind the scenes during his 2025 Singapore Grand Prix victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, saying "not many people know" what was happening away from the track. The Mercedes driver made the admission to Austrian broadcaster ORF Sport after being shown photographs of himself celebrating the win with his partner, Carmen Montero Mundt.
"I mean, it was a very special weekend because there was a lot going on behind the scenes that not many people know about," Russell said. When pressed to give a hint about what he meant, he declined, replying: "No, one day." He explained why those images carry such weight.
"Psychologically, my brain was quite busy," Russell added. "Then going out, putting it on pole, winning the race was a really special moment and having Carmen there as well. Why these photos and this moment were so important to me is because she was there through those moments off the track that I was dealing with, so this is the part that people don't see."
The victory was Russell's second of the 2025 season and offered redemption at Marina Bay. In 2023 he crashed on the final lap while running third, throwing away a likely podium. Twelve months on, he converted pole position into victory to make amends.
This season Russell sits second in the drivers' standings with 238 points, 102 points behind Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton third on 229 points. Speaking during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, Russell insisted his approach remains unchanged. "I'm going to keep fighting every single race until it's mathematically impossible," he said. "It doesn't change how I go about my job. I want to try and win every single race and put it on pole every single race. That's my goal. There's obviously a huge deficit, but it's not even a consideration right now. The performance is the biggest priority."