Very uncomfortable with his Mercedes, George Russell hopes for the best in the race

Fifth on the grid for the Miami Grand Prix, George Russell did not expect to be less than two tenths off the time of Max Verstappen, the poleman. The cause was a lack of sensations in his Mercedes, who nevertheless responded perfectly during the first session of the weekend. Beaten by his teammate in sprint qualifying like the entire field, the Briton took advantage of a chaotic sprint to regain the upper hand on Saturday lunchtime. Once relaunched in the exercise against the clock in the afternoon, the n°63 once again had to face the superiority of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

"To be honest, if I had been told before the session that I would finish fifth, just over a tenth off pole, I would have signed straight away.", he explained on the official F1 website. "I don't understand what's going on this weekend. I felt very comfortable with the car in Free Practice 1. Then, in every lap in qualifying, both Friday and Saturday, I never really felt good in the car. Clearly, I'm taking this fifth place because my feelings are very far from where they should be."

Russell hopes for rain

Despite these difficulties, the Briton remains hopeful for the Grand Prix. The weather forecast is rather pessimistic over Miami Gardens, with a high probability of thunderstorms before the Grand Prix, or even at the start of it. This will offer greater opportunities for drivers starting a little further back, such as George Russell, for example.

"I hope things will be different in the race, and I'm sure they will be. Fifth is a good starting position, and we saw in the sprint that things can change very quickly. It will be a long race, the weather could play a role, we can even hope that it does."

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