“I couldn’t get through the turns”: George Russell’s tough qualifying session

George Russell didn't hide his relief after qualifying. Starting second on the grid, the Briton had actually experienced a session that was far more complicated than it appeared. Up until Q1, the Mercedes had suddenly seemed unrecognizable.

George Russell's weekend had been smooth sailing up to that point. But that was before his car's behavior changed drastically during qualifying. “We changed the settings right before qualifying, and the car didn't feel anything like the one we'd had all weekend,” Russell explained. The change immediately threw off his rhythm. On his first flying laps, the Mercedes driver found himself unusually far from the top positions. “Did you see my first laps in Q1? I was in 7th or 8th place.”

Faced with a car that had become unstable, the team had no choice but to react urgently. “We had to make a radical adjustment to the front wing during qualifying to adapt.” It was a risky decision, made in the middle of the session, that ultimately saved the day.

Because in the cockpit, Russell clearly felt the session could turn into a disaster. “I couldn't get through the corners. The rear kept sliding out all over the track.” An unexpected behavior after what had been a very solid weekend up to that point.

Lucky to be on the front row

In this context, P2 almost feels like a victory. “We don't know if something was done wrong or what happened, but I'm pretty happy with P2, because after Q1 I was thinking, ‘I'm not really sure where we're going to end up.'”

This isn't the first time Russell has faced this kind of scenario this season. “The last two weekends, things went wrong in qualifying,” he admits. In China, pole position had already slipped away from him to his garage neighbor.

As for the race, the Brit remains level-headed. “It's not ideal. I felt very comfortable with the car all weekend, but during qualifying, something wasn't right.” "The goal is now clear: to figure it out. "We'll see tonight; maybe we'll have some answers. Maybe I can adjust my driving style to compensate." One thing is certain: Mercedes didn't have "the session we would have liked."

The competition is closing in

While Mercedes still holds the top two positions, Russell is under no illusions—the gap is gradually narrowing. “To be honest, qualifying was very close between the Ferraris and the McLarens throughout the session.” 

A bit of a surprise for the Brit, given that the third free practice session had suggested the Silver Arrows held a slight advantage. “We both had a very good FP3; we thought we had a bit of a lead.” But when it came down to it, the rivals were right there. As a result, while the front row remains locked up by Mercedes, Russell knows the race is shaping up to be high-pressure. “It's clear that the others are closing in.” A warning that promises a Grand Prix far more competitive than expected.