George Russell: Rivals are closing the gap

      George Russell finished second in qualifying for the second weekend in a row, losing out to young teammate Kimi Antonelli. In an interview, the British Mercedes driver mentioned that he was pleased with the result, considering the issues with the car during Saturday's session.

      Question: George, it seemed like you were struggling with the car throughout qualifying. Was that the case?

      George Russell: To be honest, it was all very strange. We adjusted the settings before qualifying, and the car behaved differently than it had all weekend. You saw my first laps in the first session when I was 7th and 8th. As a result, we had to make significant adjustments to the front wing settings right during qualifying.

      We don't know if something was done wrong or if something happened, but I am, in a way, happy with the qualifying results because after the first part, I thought, "I'm not sure where we will end up."

      Question: What specifically were the problems with the car and on which parts of the track?

      George Russell: We had a mechanical issue with the rear of the car, and this was mainly happening in the "esses." I couldn't attack in any of the corners. The rear was constantly trying to slide out. I'm sure we will figure out what exactly happened. Right now, there's nothing we can do, but I have a good starting position for tomorrow's race, which will be long.

      Question: You have a good starting position, but how might all these problems affect your race?

      George Russell: It's not ideal. I felt very comfortable behind the wheel all weekend, but something went wrong in qualifying. We'll analyze everything in the evening; maybe we'll find answers, or maybe I can adjust my driving style to compensate for the issues. Qualifying definitely didn't go as we wanted. For the second consecutive event, I've had difficulties in qualifying.

      Question: In Suzuka, the gaps have narrowed somewhat. Were you surprised that, for example, Oscar qualified so closely?

      George Russell: Yes, to be honest, there was very intense competition between Ferrari and McLaren in qualifying, and that was unexpected for us. Kimi and I both had a strong third practice and thought we had some advantage over our competitors. We maintain the first and second positions, but it's clear that the rivals are closing the gap.