George Russell, fourth on the grid: “Our maximum potential”
The Mercedes driver had a very good qualifying session to take 4th place, behind the Ferraris and Verstappen. After a complicated start to the weekend for Mercedes, the British driver believes he couldn't have hoped for better.
If last night, we had promised Mercedes a P4 in qualifying, it is highly likely that they would have signed with both hands. After a difficult first day of free practice, the Silver Arrows perfectly responded when it mattered.
If Lewis Hamilton hasn’t been very successful (8th), George Russell managed to take fourth place just behind the Ferraris and Verstappen, well above the others today.
The British driver achieves another excellent qualification this season and once again outperforms his teammate Lewis Hamilton. In our interview after the qualifications, Russell admits that he couldn’t have hoped for better:
« The P4 was our maximum potential today. If I had tried to go for a lap to fight for pole and search for an extra three tenths, I would have ended up in the gravel. It just wasn’t possible. We know how important tires are, that’s the best example: Q1 thirteenth and Q3 fourth. And the only thing that changed between the two were the tires. »
« We know that our strength as a team lies in circuits with a lot of support, and we struggle more on circuits like Baku, Spa… We expected to struggle here, so P4 is very good. »
« I think we have a good race pace, the tires are not degrading much, as always in Monza. But with the small rear wing, it’s not so easy to overtake. With the DRS, we gain little time. So we will have to be good at pit stops and hope to have less degradation than Ferrari. »
