Max Verstappen will start from the dirty side of the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix grid and George Russell explained how great a disadvantage this will be.
Verstappen initially beat Russell to pole position at the Lusail International Circuit by just 0.055s, but the tables would later turn.
The Red Bull driver was summoned to the stewards for slowing unnecessarily in front of his Mercedes rival on a cool-down lap and was demoted one place on the grid for Sunday’s race.
Prior to learning of his promotion to pole position, Russell explained that starting from second on the pit-wall side of the grid was a significant challenge.
“Those inside starting positions were really tricky [in the Sprint],” Russell said.
“I think every driver on the right-hand side made a poor start and that ultimately cost me the chance to fight with Lando [Norris].”
Indeed, in the Sprint, starting from second, Russell ultimately lost out to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri who he failed to pass for the remainder of the 19-lap race.
Now, Verstappen will have to contend with starting from the right-hand side second-place starting berth, handing Russell the best opportunity to claim the holeshot in the GP.
Explaining just how much pace can be lost on the dirty side of the grid, Russell said: “It’s probably about one and a half cars length difference from the inside all the way to Turn 1.
“We normally judge it based on distance in four seconds, and we think it’s probably about four metres different left to right.
“It’s, yeah, I mean, it’s quite a big difference here. I hope the guys tonight or the track can clean it a bit because it was pretty clear in the sprint that everyone on that right side made bad starts and that’s obviously a little bit unfair to have those circumstances.”
George Russell predicts really close fight with Max Verstappen and company in Qatar
Regardless of which side of the grid Russell and Verstappen launch from, the duo were neck and neck throughout qualifying.
The pace differential between the pair was minimal, setting up an intriguing proposition for the Grand Prix.
In addition, the likes of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were only a couple of tenths behind the leading pair in qualifying and Russell predicts there will be a really close fight.
“Now, obviously, [together with] Max up front, I think it’s going to be a really close fight between, I mean, all four teams,” he said.
“Ferrari looked on the same pace as Lando and myself [in the Sprint].
“So, I mean, I hope it’s going to be a good one, but the tyres seem pretty resilient.
“Maybe we’ll see another DRS train, I don’t know.”
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