George Russell’s British GP Pole Delight Comes with Caution for Mercedes Ahead of Race Day

George Russell cautions Mercedes even though he experienced "one of the best sensations" with his British GP pole position.

"This is certainly one of the greatest emotions I've felt on a Saturday afternoon, and the car was simply incredible during Q3."

George Russell expressed that achieving his first F1 pole position in his home country gave him “one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.” However, he also cautioned Mercedes about the challenges they might face on race day.

Russell clinched the third pole position of his Formula 1 career during the British Grand Prix qualifying session, finishing ahead of his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton.

Although Mercedes appeared strong in wet conditions, it remained uncertain if they could compete with McLaren and Max Verstappen on a dry track.

Due to Verstappen sustaining damage to his car's floor and Norris being unable to better his last attempt, Mercedes achieved their first front-row lockout since the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in 2022.

Looking back on the qualifying session, he remarked, “I’ve rarely felt this good on a Saturday afternoon. The car was absolutely incredible during Q3; it really came to life. Driving this track felt amazing, especially when I crossed the finish line in first place.”

"We both ended up in the front row, which was something we couldn't have imagined after the initial three or four races. In the final qualifying session (Q3), we significantly stepped up our game, especially since the first two qualifying rounds (Q1 and Q2) were extremely tough. There were moments when I thought I might be eliminated. The track conditions kept getting better with each lap."

Entering Q3 was likely the most intense pressure I've experienced in a qualifying session. Throughout Q1 and Q2, I constantly felt on the brink of being eliminated.

"I didn't initially have much confidence, but once I navigated through the first two corners in the final qualifying session, I started to feel more assured and completed the laps successfully. From the sixth to the ninth turn, I made significant gains; turns six and seven were particularly impressive. Due to the strong headwind, I braked very late and maintained high speed through the corners. The car handled perfectly, and I felt extremely confident driving it."

In anticipation of Sunday's race, Russell has cautioned that Lando Norris and Verstappen, starting from the third and fourth positions respectively, possess a slight edge of one or two-tenths of a second over Mercedes.

He added that, realistically, they are aware they are a tenth or two of a second slower than Lando and Max, but he believes they still have a strong competition ahead.

The weather will significantly influence the event, as it has been alternating between rain and dry conditions over the past few days. There is some rain predicted for tomorrow, so we might experience a race similar to the one in Montreal.

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