“No reason why we couldn’t have won…” - Russell’s bold claim about Mercedes

Russell led the early stages of the race at Albert Park following his lightning start from second on the grid.

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Mercedes were first and second with their cars, with Max Verstappen right behind them.

Russell stopped for fresh rubber when the Safety Car appeared due to Alex Albon.

It was untimely for Russell as the red flag was put out a lap later, meaning the rest of the field who didn’t stop under the Safety Car, could put on fresh tyres.

Russell would later retire from the race due to an engine-related issue as Verstappen went onto win the race ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

Speaking after the race, he said: “As soon as I came through the high-speed 9 and 10. I felt something go. That was it. Three corners later, I was stopped. When it’s not your day, it’s not your day.

“I felt comfortable, strong, the pace was great all weekend. Every time we’ve done something, we’ve maximised it. We had a great qualifying, the start was great, the first stint was well-managed - I could have extended it but Lewis was pushing really hard behind me. Seeing the tyres, I would have probably been good.

“I see no reason why we couldn’t have won today. Looking at the pace of Max - I’m sure he was just managing - but it would have been difficult for him to pass, especially with Lewis between the two of us. So I’m really disappointed.”

Despite Russell’s bold claim, he believes when Red Bull push to the maximum they’re 0.5s to 0.7s ahead on pace.

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“They’re a long way ahead of everybody,” he added. “When they turn it up, they’re five, six, seven tenths ahead.

"So we’ve got a lot of work to do. For now, we take the positives. Every time we hit the track we can’t have done any more, I take pride in that.”