George Russell said there was “nothing gained, nothing lost” after a confusing moment saw him and Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton tripping over one another during qualifying for the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
“What the **** was Lewis doing prepping that lap,” Russell called over the team radio to his engineer during Saturday’s qualifying session.
“It’s fine we’ll talk about it afterwards, head in the game,” came the reply.
Russell’s anger came amid a near prang with the back of Hamilton’s car during the first runs in Q3 as both Mercedes drivers jostled to get a tow from Esteban Ocon’s Alpine.
By the session’s end, Hamilton out-qualified Russell for just the second time this season as the duo locked out the second row for Sunday’s race.
Once out of the car, Russell’s view of the mishap was calmer.
“Lewis was quite a long way ahead of me but we both had our eyes on the same driver for the slipstream for opening the lap,” said Russell.
“So I was focusing on my mirrors not to impede [Esteban] Ocon, and next thing I looked up and Lewis was right in front of me trying to take the tow from Ocon.
“In the moment when you’re trying to get everything you’re a bit hot-headed but nothing gained nothing lost.”
Despite being out-qualified by his team-mate Russell had plenty of reasons to be positive.
After securing pole position in Canada last time out, Barcelona posed a stringent test to see whether Mercedes has made progress with its recent upgrades to the W15.
After qualifying just three-tenths away from pole position, Russell believes Mercedes has turned a corner.
“Well you never know 100% but this is for sure the most confident we have been over the last three years of what we’ve brought to the car,” Russell said.
“It’s natural as well, we’re all gaining experience and we’re all three years into these regs, and we all know what makes a good race car in this sort of era.
“It’s proven how tight it is out there with the top four teams at the moment, in the coming races it’ll probably be marginal differences making a big difference in terms of your grid position, but that’s what F1 should be about.”
From a personal standpoint, Russell pointed out that “Two milliseconds is the biggest gap I’ve had at the last four races to the driver around me, so it’s crazy to think that.
“I’m taking the positives,” he continued.
“As a team we’re in the mix, Lando [Norris] did a really great lap, I don’t think Lewis and I kind of really put it together perfectly, I felt like there was maybe two tenths on the table.
“Not the gap we saw to pole, but nevertheless we’re P3, P4, and in a great place to fight for a win tomorrow.”
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