A week after his brilliant victory in Las Vegas, George Russell gets to start from the front row again in Qatar. The Brit qualified better than his teammate Lewis Hamilton for the eighteenth time this season, and will start the Qatar Grand Prix from P2. Russell did encounter Max Verstappen during Q3. The driver also couldn’t resist taking a small jab at McLaren.
“Just a few races ago, we could only dream of ending up on the front row in the last few qualifiers,” a happy Russell shares immediately after the qualification. “We really have the momentum. My first lap was one of my best ever, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find any extra time in my second fast lap. Max beat me. But we’re looking at the positives, and the car has been fantastic these past weekends. We’re enjoying it while we can.”
During Q3, Russell ran into Verstappen, and the footage seemed to suggest that the Dutchman was blocking the Brit. “You tell me, you’re the expert,” Russell laughs when he sees the footage of the moment. “I had to go through the gravel, and it felt like the floor got damaged.”
Team Orders
The Mercedes driver is then asked about his chances for Sunday’s race, and Russell can’t resist taking a small jab at McLaren. During the sprint race earlier on Saturday, Norris let his teammate Piastri win, ignoring the team orders. “Hopefully we can have a good race, without all that team order fuss. Max is of course there, and that surprised me. Because (Red Bull) wasn’t good earlier,” concludes the driver.
