George Russell: It's unlikely we could have achieved more.

      George Russell set the 5th fastest time in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, while Kimi Antonelli will start the Austrian Grand Prix from 9th position. Overall, the Mercedes cars’ pace on Saturday was affected by the hot weather.

      George Russell (5th): "I believe that was our maximum; I don’t feel we could have achieved more. Ultimately, we are well aware of our car’s strengths and weaknesses, and when it’s hot on tracks with abrasive surfaces and fast corners, we start to struggle. In contrast, teams like McLaren really thrive here.

      Of course, Lando did a great job today to take pole, but our fifth place is pretty much what we expected.

      As for the incident in the pit lane, when you’re in the cockpit of a Formula 1 car, visibility is always a challenge, there are significant blind spots, and you can’t see much in the mirrors. So you just have to rely on the information your team gives you. And when everyone heads out of the pits at the same time, it’s hard to avoid problems. But I don’t think there will be any consequences in this case.

      Looking ahead to the race, I foresee Max Verstappen fighting his way forward, and at best we’ll battle with Ferrari. But I’m sure tomorrow’s race will feel like a long one for us."

      Kimi Antonelli (9th): "At the end of qualifying I simply didn’t have time to start my second run – of course, I’m upset. I kept pushing and the lap could have been good; I definitely had a shot at a top-six position, but unfortunately I was too late to begin my attempt.

      Still, we have to keep working to try to make up as many places as possible tomorrow. Hopefully we can manage that; it definitely won’t be easy, but since the car is capable of good pace, we can move forward."