Russell faces a crucial Formula 1 season ahead, where he must demonstrate to Mercedes and team boss Toto Wolff that he is the ideal candidate to succeed Hamilton. This requires a significantly better performance compared to last year.
After Friday’s qualifying session on the illuminated Sakhir track, Russell will start the season-opening Grand Prix from third position, hoping for some chaos in his quest for a podium finish and potentially even a second victory if circumstances align on Sunday night.
In his post-qualifying interview with journalists, Russell expressed his appreciation for the remarkable work done by the team at the factory, providing him and Lewis with a car they are much more satisfied with and a foundation to build upon. However, he acknowledged that Max Verstappen still leads the pack and they have a considerable amount of ground to make up.
Reflecting on his qualifying performances in Bahrain over the past two years and considering race pace, starting from third position for tomorrow’s race is an advantageous position. The team has made significant progress in terms of single-lap speed, but they hope this hasn’t compromised their ability to perform well during the race.
Russell anticipates a fierce battle among all the drivers, excluding Max Verstappen. He recognizes that Red Bull is currently very strong, with Verstappen doing an exceptional job. While there may be an opportunity to challenge for the lead, the race is fundamentally about securing second place for all of them. As it is the first race of the season, Russell is full of expectations and hopes for some unpredictability.
On the other hand, Hamilton only managed ninth place on the grid with the other Mercedes. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion was half a second slower than the fastest time in Q1 and a few tenths behind his teammate Russell.
Despite this, Hamilton remained positive during his post-qualifying interview: «It wasn’t great. But I really felt a lot of emotion being here. George’s position and pace really demonstrate and pay tribute to the team’s hard work during the winter.
«It’s amazing to have a car that we can compete with. It ignites the competitive spirit within us drivers. Personally, both Bono and everyone did a fantastic job, but I struggled during qualifying today.
«Yesterday was really promising. George and I had the same setups, but he made different choices than mine. Unfortunately, my choices didn’t work well for a single lap, but I felt more comfortable with more fuel. I hope that translates into a better performance tomorrow.
«I definitely made more sacrifices than I initially anticipated, and I hope it’s worth it. There’s a lot of work to be done to get past all those fast cars in front of me, but it will be a nice challenge,» predicted Hamilton, marking his 333rd Formula 1 qualifying session.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff expressed his thoughts on George Russell’s performance in the qualifying session, stating that his third place was satisfactory. However, Wolff believed they had the potential for more speed, as they were only three tenths of a second behind pole position. He also mentioned that the car had been set up favorably for the upcoming race, giving them hope for a good performance. Despite the narrow gaps between third and ninth place, Wolff remained optimistic and expected better results.
As for Lewis Hamilton’s ninth place, Wolff attributed it to small performance differences caused by tire optimization. He explained that being within the ideal tire performance window can make a difference of two to three tenths of a second, which can significantly impact the result. The team made some setup changes during the session, initially concerned that they had sacrificed too much performance for the race. However, in the end, they managed to find a balance that satisfied them, especially with George Russell’s car. Wolff acknowledged that there is still much to learn about the car, but believed that race day would bring better results.
In last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Hamilton finished in fifth place, while Russell secured seventh place. Mercedes has higher expectations for this year’s race, especially with Russell starting from the second row on the grid.
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