George Russell, who finished second to Max Verstappen in qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix, said he regretted his “terrible” last lap in Q3 and believed it was “our pole”.
George Russell won both FP2 and FP3 at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit and looked vying for pole position in the first heat of Q3, just 0.132 seconds behind Max Verstappen.
However, George Russell struggled with oversteer at Turn 5, going wide at Turn 12 at the end of the back straight and eventually losing time.
Max Verstappen took pole position on the last lap, 0.3 seconds ahead of George Russell.
George Russell said: “The team deserved better today. They built a really great car this weekend. I think it’s a testament to the hard work they have done for so long.”
“Last week I saw Lewis show what the car is capable of. I feel like I got pole and it was a terrible lap on my side. I am angry with myself.
“But in the end we won’t score any points in qualifying, so I’m thrilled to be back on the front row.”
George Russell lined up just ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton in what was Mercedes’ best qualifying result of the 2022 season.
Mercedes still has three races left to wrap up its winless campaign and aims to increase its chances in the second half of the season, while also supporting next year’s development with the final W13 update introduced in Austin.
George Russell felt Mercedes “didn’t have a chance to really show their potential” over the US Grand Prix weekend, but high-altitude conditions are allowing them to show more of their potential.
“Aerodynamics aren’t that important at this altitude, so I’d say it’s the advantage over Red Bull,” said Russell.
“They are always 0.3 seconds ahead of us on the straights. It’s not that important here, so maybe that’s why they are a little more competitive.”
Asked about Mercedes’ long-term pace ahead of the race, George Russell says he feels the team “looks competitive” and has a “reasonable shot” in the battle in the lead.
“With Lewis in the lead, we have the ability to do something different with our strategy,” said George Russell.
“Let’s see what we can do”
Category: F1 / Giorgio Russel / mercedes / F1 Mexican Grand Prix
