Winner of the Sprint at Zandvoort, George Russell admitted he was relieved to see the rain arrive after the checkered flag.
Read more Charles Leclerc explains how he exploited a weakness of Lando Norris to overtake him
George Russell perfectly launched his weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix. Starting from pole position, the Mercedes driver led all 24 laps of the Sprint to claim victory and add eight points to his championship tally.
The Briton was never truly threatened at the front, but the final minutes of the race could have produced a much more eventful scenario. Forecast for several laps, the rain finally fell on the Zandvoort circuit just as the drivers were finishing the race.
A timing that particularly suited Russell.
“An excellent start to the weekend, he said happily after the finish. If there had been one more lap, the end of the race could potentially have been very different. So I was glad the rain came when it did.”
Russell had saved tires for the end
Although Russell controlled the race from the front, he did not push at maximum throughout the entire Sprint. The Mercedes driver had deliberately preserved his tires in the fast corners to have a performance margin in the final laps.
A strategy that proved particularly useful when Charles Leclerc managed to overtake Lando Norris to take second place.
“I knew that if there were going to be overtakes, they would come towards the end of the race, Russell explained. So I wanted to manage my tires a bit in the fast corners and keep something in reserve for the end.”
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The Briton was particularly monitoring Leclerc’s progress. The only top 10 driver to start on soft tires, the Monegasque managed to maintain a high enough pace to catch up to Norris and then overtake him.
“I knew that if Charles managed to pass Lando, he would be fast. As soon as I saw him behind me, I increased the pace and we both started to pull away.”
Russell wary of Ferrari for pole
Leclerc’s performance did not go unnoticed at Mercedes. While the Grand Prix qualifying is still to be held this Saturday afternoon, Russell expects a much tighter battle for pole position.
“The Ferraris seem really fast, so it’s going to be very close this afternoon,” he warned.
Mercedes had taken the advantage on Friday, with Russell securing the Sprint pole ahead of Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Oscar Piastri. But the pace shown by Ferrari in the race suggests the hierarchy could still change during qualifying.
After his Sprint victory, Russell nevertheless approaches the rest of the weekend in an ideal position. Now it remains to be confirmed over a flying lap against a Ferrari that seems to have found performance at Zandvoort.
Read more George Russell wins the Sprint at Zandvoort, Charles Leclerc second