Russell Praises Mercedes’ Comeback After “Bad” Friday

George Russell praises his team’s efforts to revive hopes for a strong race at Marina Bay Circuit.

Despite a slow start to the weekend, Mercedes driver George Russell praised his team’s comeback, securing the second row of the grid for the Singapore Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton will start third, with teammate Russell in fourth place. Only Lando Norris and Max Verstappen are ahead of the Mercedes duo, and Russell is pleased with their turnaround.

“It’s been an incredible comeback since yesterday,” Russell said. “Undoubtedly, it was probably the worst Friday of the last three years.”

“In the third practice session, I was comfortably second, with only Lando ahead of me, and the car felt completely different. So, thanks to the team for the work they’ve done,” he added.

Russell praised the Mercedes team’s efforts in identifying where the setup went wrong and making the necessary changes to give their drivers a car capable of fighting at the front.

When asked about the role of the team working on the simulator, he responded, “Yes, tremendous.”

“Not only the people on the simulator, but there are also those analyzing the data overnight,” Russell said. “The engineers are literally working here all night. So yes, it’s a great comeback.”

“We were completely off with the car’s setup at the wrong time. We were trying some things on Friday, and maybe it wasn’t the right place to do that, and it’s clear that we turned it around,” he added.

After hitting the barriers on Friday night, Russell spun again in the third practice session but explained it as finding limits on the Singapore streets.

“I was confident in myself, so I was just checking if there was more in the car, but there wasn’t. I hoped for a bit more before the session, but I’m very happy to have salvaged fourth after Q1 and Q2.”

Mercedes also benefited from a poor qualifying session for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc complained about a lack of heat in his tires and will start from ninth, just ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz, who crashed in Q3.

Russell expressed caution regarding McLaren’s pace with Oscar Piastri in fifth and Lando Norris on pole: “Piastri will be the main threat from behind. I hope Lewis and I can battle against Max.

“But to be realistic, if Lando leads after the first lap, he will win the race comfortably.”