Mercedes
Russell admitted he lacked confidence in FP3 through the Turn 16 chicane, the place he crashed yesterday. But somehow, he put that behind him in Qualifying to grab his second pole of the season. Russell left it all out there on his first run in Q3, clobbering the wall but keeping his foot in to grab provisional pole, and was one of very few to improve on his second run to seal the deal. As for Antonelli, he was made to work hard in Q1 after getting traffic in the form of Sainz – having to abort his first effort. But after that, he nailed every lap to grab fourth on the grid for the second straight race.
George Russell, 1st, 1:29.158
“It’s been a challenging weekend so far and I’ve had to build my confidence with the car. Come the end of Q2 though, I felt that I was in a good place and had more lap time in my pocket. I knew I had the car beneath me, and I was able to deliver with both efforts in Q3. It’s a good reminder that a setback on Friday doesn’t need to impact the rest of the weekend.
“Tomorrow won’t be easy but we’re starting from the best possible position. I will be focusing on my race and hopefully we can fight for a good result. We’ve not had a good look at our long run pace and in recent races Max (Verstappen) has been the man to beat, plus we know that the McLarens are strong in races where tyre management is key. Let’s see what we can do.”
Kimi Antonelli, 4th, 1:29.537
“I am slightly disappointed to end our day in P4. I had a good FP3 and put together strong laps in both Q1 and Q2. It didn’t quite come together in Q3 sadly as I pushed a little too hard on both laps. I left a good chunk of lap time on the table and that is frustrating. It is a shame as I think we had a real shot at pole position but at least the front row. I’m pleased that I’ve managed to get up to speed quickly at a track that I’ve never driven before but there was definitely more there than our final result.
“There are some unknowns heading into the race. Not many cars have managed to get a representative long run completed and we know how critical that pace, and tyre management, will be for tomorrow’s Grand Prix. Starting P4, we have the opportunity to fight for the podium if we do have good race pace and hopefully we can bring home a good result.”
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“The improvements we made to the car overnight certainly helped both drivers today. Both George and Kimi were more comfortable in FP3 and showed solid pace to be in amongst the top five. They carried that speed into qualifying and converted it into strong positions for Sunday’s race.
“After his accident in FP2, George spent FP3 and Q1 building his confidence with the car. He always had more margin to push and used that when it mattered to produce two stunning laps in Q3. He has been incredibly strong all year, and this was yet another great performance. For Kimi, he has been on George’s pace all weekend and that is very encouraging for him following on from a good weekend in Baku. Whilst he couldn’t quite put his ultimate lap together in Q3, he still has a good opportunity to fight for the podium tomorrow from P4.
“We have only managed one long run so far this weekend so there are plenty of unknowns heading into the race. Looking after the rear tyres is critical for a good result and hopefully we have taken a step forward with that with recent upgrades. If we can do so, and given our starting positions, then we can look forward to a competitive showing.”
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
“Congratulations to George and the team in Brackley and Brixworth on pole position. George drove a very solid session, finding time with every new tyre set but it was the step he made going into Q3that the others struggled to match.
“Kimi finished a very credible P4; he’ll be disappointed not to be closer to pole knowing the potential that was in the car, but he recovered well from being blocked on his first run in Q1 and getting track limits in Q2. To end up splitting the McLarens is certainly a good achievement.
“We’re going to have some very strong opposition in the race tomorrow. The McLarens always look good on long runs at the overheating tracks and we’re expecting Max to be putting us under pressure so will take nothing for granted. It’s rarely a straightforward race but we’ll be doing everything we can to convert today’s performance into good points tomorrow.”
