George Russell definitely likes riding in the spotlight. Untouchable a week ago in the streets of Las Vegas, the Mercedes driver did not take his foot off the gas during the first laps of the track in Qatar.
On Friday, he was one of the few to compete against Lando Norris. If the McLaren driver led the Sprint qualifying from start to finish, the Mercedes driver was often equal – to the point of provisionally signing the same time at one point – or almost. During SQ3, only George Russell finished less than a tenth behind Norris, missing pole position by just 63 thousandths.
A great and above all encouraging start which allows him, as well as Mercedes, to hope to fight again for the leading roles, and why not victory in order to brighten up this delicate end of the season a little more on the side of the Star. “ I felt very good throughout qualifyinghe smiled in the Qatari night. The car was really great. This circuit is truly one of the best, when you are in the rhythm it goes so fast.
I was on the floor for the first time in the fast section during my flying lap in SQ3 and this visibly surprised the engine. I don't know how much time I lost, but I got really hot coming out of the corner because I went full throttle.. »
For the rest, and in particular the Sprint Race this Saturday (3:00 p.m.), George Russell hopes to take advantage of the duel between McLaren and Ferrari among the Manufacturers to hope to give them victory. “ We have nothing to losehe continues.
We are going to go all out, to aim for a big result. It will take a good start. Of course it's only the Sprint but we also have to focus on qualifying (19h00). But for now everything is fine. »
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