George Russell was thrilled after splitting the two McLarens during the qualifying session at the Chinese Grand Prix, but he remains realistic about the challenge of outperforming both of them during the race itself.
On Saturday, Oscar Piastri nabbed the first pole position of his grand prix career, managing to edge out his teammate, Lando Norris, who secured a provisional second place in Q3. Russell clinched a front-row start with his last attempt, admitting that his performance surprised him, given the difficulties he had been having with getting his tires to perform optimally.
Piastri notched his pole position right when it mattered.
“Honestly, it feels amazing,” Russell shared. “That was probably one of the toughest qualifying sessions I’ve tackled in a while. I tried everything with the tire prep—nothing felt right until that last shot when everything just clicked perfectly. I’m just thrilled to be in P2.”
Russell continued, “I was experimenting with speeds on the out lap, and the last one was a bit of a gamble. I had quite a moment near Turn 1, but everything just gelled. When I crossed the finish line, I realized I was between the McLarens! I was over the moon and can’t wait for tomorrow.”
Despite having only Piastri to contend with ahead of him on the grid, and Hamilton claiming a Sprint victory while Piastri finished second, Russell remains wary about Mercedes’ ability to match McLaren’s pace.
“It’s going to be a challenge. Running the medium tires during the Sprint was tough for us. Most of the front runners are likely to start with them tomorrow, and we’ve yet to see anyone trying the hard tire all weekend,” Russell explained.
“So, we’re in the dark about whether it’ll be a one-stop or two-stop race. We’re well aware McLaren will be fast, but we’ll push hard to either hold our position or get ahead. Should be exciting.”
Russell concluded, “I think overtaking McLaren is ambitious. The race earlier was tough, and they seem a step ahead. Ferrari was quite a surprise during the Sprint, but tomorrow is a whole different ball game. With the hard tires yet to be tested, tomorrow’s race could bring a few twists.”
