Mercedes
Russell put in a fast lap at the end of the third FP to take first place, the first time he had beaten his teammate this weekend. But it didn’t initially seem like he carried that momentum into qualifying, with Antonelli fastest in both Q1 and Q2. The Italian also took provisional pole in the opening laps of Q3 and was almost unstoppable.
But then the final laps came and Mercedes sent their drivers last. Russell was clearly on the hot lap and Antonelli wasn’t getting much out of it. But Verstappen crashed just in front of the Italian, pushed off and abandoned the race in what was believed to be double yellow flag conditions. It was only a single, allowing Russell, behind him, to overcome the incident and then put his foot down again. His advantage was such that he still managed to grab pole by more than two tenths of a second.
George Russell, 1st, 1:06.113
“P1 is feeling very good today. That last lap in Q3 was incredible. I could see myself gaining a few tenths corner after corner and it was just incredible. Without the yellow flag at the end of the session, I know we could have been even faster.
“It was a tense first and second part of qualifying for us as they were very intense, but once we got into the third part of qualifying I just instinctively focused on driving and everything came together. I felt confident in the car all weekend and I’m very happy that we were able to deliver when it mattered most.
“Toto and the team have given us great support. We communicate constantly and that belief gives you the freedom to go out and have fun, which is what I did today.”
“Of course, today this is only part of the work. Tomorrow is what matters and it will be an even race. Ferrari and McLaren looked strong and Max will always be a factor. We will need to perform well, stay clean and make the most of every opportunity.”
Kimi Antonelli, 4th, 1:06.414
“It has been a positive weekend so far and we have been able to show good pace as the sessions progress. The last lap of qualifying was going well and it looked like he could be close to George, which is encouraging and a learning experience for me.
“I feel comfortable in the car and we showed particularly strong pace over the longer distances, so that gives us a good platform for tomorrow.
“It will be a difficult race with these conditions and a lot of tire wear, so managing that will be key. We have a lot to do and, using various possible strategies, we will strive to move forward and maximize the result.”
Toto Wolf, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“It wasn’t the easiest qualifying session for us: the first and second quarters were quite difficult, so it was important to remain calm and play cleanly when it mattered.
“George did an outstanding job today. He was competitive throughout the weekend and, when it mattered most, put in an outstanding lap using all his experience; he picked up the lift at the right time, handled the amount needed, and ultimately maxed out the lap when needed. Sometimes you need to simplify things and just ride, and he did just that. He also handled the tire quite well throughout the session, which was key in these conditions.
“Kimi also had another positive weekend. He showed strong pace from the opening laps in practice and was competitive throughout. His final lap in Q3 was compromised by late yellow flags, but fourth on the grid still gives him every opportunity tomorrow. He continues to gain experience every weekend and has once again shown that he can compete at the front row.
“We know our opponents will be right at us. They have already shown this pace, so tomorrow we still have something to fight for.”
Andrey Shovlin, track engineering director
“Huge congratulations to George and the team for another pole position today. It was a very impressive lap that he managed to complete at the most important moment.
“Overall the day was pretty easy. We made some tweaks to the setup overnight and were able to get the car into a reasonable position in FP3. In qualifying, it seemed like Kimi’s team was having a smoother session. He looked fast in every session and found time as the track improved. Kimi had a bit of poor timing for the yellow at Turn 9 in his final run; he thought it was a double yellow so he spun off the lap and lost a possible second place.
“George was certainly on his best lap at that stage; despite having to climb at turn nine, he was still able to take pole by over 0.2 seconds, a great achievement.
“Tomorrow everything will depend on the race pace and the deterioration of the situation. We saw enough on Friday to know that it will be a close battle with all the teams up front and the temperatures will be tough on the car and the tyres.”