Mercedes driver George Russell clocked the third fastest time during the qualifying round for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The British racer was only outpaced by Oscar Piastri and pole-sitter Max Verstappen. For a brief moment, Russell dreamt of securing the pole position, but given the speed of McLaren and Verstappen’s masterful performance, he had to settle for third place. Looking ahead to the race, Russell anticipates another thrilling spectacle.
“In the lead-up to the session, I would have been very happy with P3, but once I saw how close we all were, I thought I might have been able to squeeze out a bit more,” George Russell grinned afterwards. “At the same time, I have to stay realistic – this was probably the best achievable result. McLaren has tremendous speed, and Max (Verstappen) did a fantastic job again today. I can only congratulate him.”
“It was a tricky session with that red flag,” Russell continued. “For us, it all came down to that last lap – it was quite interesting to see that Red Bull opted for a two-lap strategy. But as I said, P3 is a good starting point. It’s going to be a long race tomorrow.” Mercedes teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli also finished in the top ten. The young Italian clocked the fifth fastest time.”
