Winner of the Sprint and then second in qualifying at Zandvoort, George Russell feels he has regained his best feelings after several difficult weekends.
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The summer break seems to have done George Russell a lot of good. After several difficult races before the season interruption, the Briton returned to the forefront right from the Dutch Grand Prix.
Russell started his Saturday by turning his pole position into a victory in the Sprint. A few hours later, the Mercedes driver was again very close to first place in qualifying, missing out by only 0.102 seconds to Lando Norris.
Although he would obviously have preferred to secure another pole, Russell mainly retains the regained feelings behind the wheel of his Mercedes.
“Lando did a very good job, so congratulations to him and McLaren. It was a good session, said Russell. I thought we had what it takes to fight for pole, but I am quite satisfied with this second place.”
Russell turns the page on a difficult period
This performance takes on particular importance after the difficulties encountered before the summer break. Russell had notably lost ground in the championship to his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who had an especially impressive first half of the season.
The Dutch weekend therefore marks a change of momentum for the Briton. His victory in the Sprint already allowed him to reduce part of his gap to Antonelli, who finished fourth in the short race.
“After the very difficult recent races before the break, it’s nice to find my rhythm again and try to fight with them tomorrow” continues Russell.
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Beyond the results, the Mercedes driver especially emphasizes his state of mind and the feelings regained behind the wheel.
“I feel good and I just feel like being myself again, which is really important.”
A promising front row against Norris
Russell will start on Sunday alongside Norris on the front row. A perfect inversion of the Sprint scenario, for which the Mercedes driver had started on pole ahead of the McLaren.
The Briton also appreciated the conditions encountered during qualifying. Cooler temperatures allowed the cars to extract more performance from the fast and hilly Zandvoort circuit.
“It was really nice to drive here and, with these cooler temperatures, the track felt really fast. It was a real pleasure to drive for all of us and I look forward to the race.”
Mercedes will also have a second important card with Antonelli in third position. The championship leader will start just behind Norris and Russell, ahead of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.
After dominating the Sprint and nearly taking pole, Russell can therefore approach the Grand Prix with ambition. And beyond a possible victory at Zandvoort, this return to the forefront could especially be the trigger he needed to relaunch his second half of the season.