George Russell “super happy” despite Kimi crash

Even though Mercedes had expected more based on the training results, George Russell is very happy with third place on the grid for the Formula 1 race in Monza this weekend.

“I'm super happy,” he said after qualifying. Russell said he had just muddled through to Q3 after it had been a difficult weekend for him so far. The Briton had left his cockpit rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli in charge on Friday. An accident damaged Russell's car, meaning he missed not only the first session, but also large parts of the second practice session.

“That really put me behind and I had to make a lot of changes from FP3 to qualifying because that was my first proper session on track,” he says.

Q1 and Q2 didn't go particularly smoothly in his opinion. “I wasn't confident, I didn't feel good in the car and I basically just muddled through the session. And then suddenly I was in the sweet spot for Q3,” he says. “I think I was third or fourth in both laps. I'm very happy with the result.”

Good comeback to Zandvoort

Above all, it is a significant step forward compared to the previous week. Russell had started fourth in Zandvoort, but the Silver Arrows were unable to make any progress in the race, finishing behind the other three top teams.

“I think we realised where we went wrong with the set-up and in this sport it's easy to lose it if you don't have the sweet spot – and that's exactly what happened at Zandvoort,” says Russell.

“As painful as it is, sometimes it's important to have these disappointing weekends,” he says. “There are no guarantees for tomorrow because we weren't a million miles away in qualifying at Zandvoort either. But I'm confident we'll be more involved tomorrow.”

Toto Wolff: “Stopwatch never lies”

For motorsport boss Toto Wolff, the result from Monza was nevertheless a bit of a disappointment. Lewis Hamilton had achieved the best time in the second and third practice sessions and raised hopes of pole position, but in qualifying they lost out to McLaren – in Russell's case, only by four thousand points to Oscar Piastri.

“It's so close. It's unbelievable, these gaps. But in the end, the stopwatch never lies,” Wolff told Sky. “The stopwatch always tells the truth. And we're just a little too slow. Especially in the middle section and in the Parabolica. But that can't even be measured. Or if it can, then only in centimeters. And in that respect, you can't really blame anyone.”

Starting from third on the grid, Russell has every chance of winning the race on Sunday – especially if McLaren still mess up their start like they did in Zandvoort. “If they make a start like last week, then we have a chance,” he says. “But if they make a good start, then it will be very difficult, I think.”

“McLaren have done an incredible job in the last few races, they are the benchmark,” praises Russell. “Everywhere we have been, they have been the fastest. And that has been the case for as long as… I can remember. OK, but I have a short memory,” he laughs. “But it seems like a long time ago.”

Russell a little blind in the long run

What is disadvantageous for Russell is the lack of training practice, which could become a problem in the long run. “I don't know what to expect,” he says. “Because I haven't really done the laps, to be honest. I just have to trust my instincts and then adapt spontaneously.”

“But I'm excited, it's going to be a close fight,” he said. “Everyone is close together, which is exciting for Formula 1. We've all been waiting for this competition and you know that if you do a good job you have a chance to win. I'm really looking forward to it.”

“I'm going to eat a nice pizza tonight for a bit of extra weight so I'm not too light and hopefully we can fight for a good result.”