George Russell: I have become a completely different racing driver.

      George Russell comfortably won the Singapore Grand Prix and, commenting on its outcome after the finish, stressed that this was possible because he has become "a completely different driver" compared to what he was a couple of years ago, when he crashed his Mercedes on the final lap at the same circuit.

      Question: You drove a brilliant race, absolutely faultless. Did everything go as smoothly for you as it appeared from the outside?

      George Russell: You can never call the Singapore race, which lasts one hour and 45 minutes in that heat and humidity, an easy one. Seeing before the start that Max Verstappen had soft tyres on his car, I realised I simply had to keep ahead of him into Turn 1.

      But then I managed to drive a few opening laps really well, and although I understood that Max was probably being kinder to the soft tyres than I was to the Mediums, it was great that over 20 laps I managed to open up a 10-second gap to him.

      After that I knew I just had to get to the finish and try not to graze the barriers at Turn 10 anymore.

      Question: Bearing in mind what happened in Singapore a couple of years ago, can you say this victory gave you even more pleasure?

      George Russell: Yes, absolutely. I want to say that I used to struggle to get on with this circuit, and most of the time it was my own fault. But I've already said that I have become a completely different driver compared to what I was two years ago. I feel there are fewer weak points in my preparation, and I drive with more confidence.

      I know exactly what to do in different circumstances. Of course, I was nervous before the start, which was to be expected, but there wasn't any particular nervousness and I didn't feel any extra pressure. For me it was just another race with a chance to win — I understood that, and the very thought of it was pleasant.

      Overall, as I've said many times and am ready to repeat: I feel ready to fight for the championship title, ready to take my next step.

      Question: Tell us in more detail what you thought before the start when you saw Max was on Softs?

      George Russell: I thought it was a sensible decision, because if he had got past me into Turn 1, to be honest I think he would have won the race — it's that difficult to overtake here. You could see that Lando was the fastest today, yet he still couldn't pass Max.

      On every lap the gap between their cars was within a second. So if Lando couldn't get past the Red Bull, I doubt we could have. That's why it was so important to get the start exactly right. I'm glad it worked out, and this year I've generally been pretty good at starts.

      Question: You already said you don't understand where such speed came from. Even after 62 laps you still don't know how to explain it?

      George Russell: I think this season the tyres on the Mercedes are less prone to overheating than in previous years. I think the main problem used to be tyre overheating, but now new tarmac has been laid in some corners, so the surface is smoother.

      But it also seems the tyres this year are better at coping with the loads. Although it's become a bit easier to manage the tyres, in any case that kind of pace surprised us.

      Question: You have already said you've become a completely different driver compared to what you were a couple of years ago. Can you expand on that? Do you mean you're driven by the role of team leader, or is it more about on-track results, lap times? In what exactly have you improved?

      George Russell: I think it comes with experience — you just better understand what you need to do in any situation to make the most of every opportunity.

      Probably a couple of years ago I felt more tension behind the wheel, and maybe in some circumstances I could overdo it when I shouldn't have. Now I just drive more relaxed. Speaking about this race, I was in a calm frame of mind.

      When it rained an hour before the start, I just said, "Whatever happens, happens." Everyone is in the same position. Personally I can't influence it, so there's no point worrying. I think two years ago I would have acted a little differently.