George Russell was baffled by what he described as a “mixed-up” qualifying session for the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, after he and other drivers struggled for grip.
The Brit will line up in sixth place at the Interlagos circuit, with Mercedes team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli starting a brilliant second.
Where Antonelli prospered, Russell faltered, as he was unable to extract the maximum from his W16, ultimately winding up behind the Racing Bulls of Isack Hadjar, who starts in fifth place.
Continuously complaining about the lack of grip over the radio during the session, Russell never seemed comfortable and appeared at odds with the car, having finished third in the Sprint race earlier in the day.
After qualifying, Russell admitted the session was peculiar in its nature and cited fellow Brit Oliver Bearman’s disappointing Q3, the Haas driver qualifying eighth when he looked on course to be much higher based on his Q1 and Q2 performances.
“It was pretty rubbish to be honest, but a really weird session when you look at Max [Verstappen] out in Q1, Lewis [Hamilton] out in Q2,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“There were many drivers struggling with grip and Bearman at the top for so long. He was obviously doing a great job but his team-mate [Esteban Ocon] was in last.
“Again, it was just a very mixed up session and I was in that camp of drivers who just couldn’t get their tyres to work.”
Russell reveals lack of difference between Softs and Mediums
Despite his evident frustrations, Russell’s irritation was perhaps tempered by the realisation that Verstappen had struggled more so, the World Champion being eliminated in Q1, along with Hamilton, who failed to make the top-10 shootout.
In a last-ditch effort to maximise a little more from his car, Russell went out late in Q3 on Mediums, but when asked if he felt any improvement, he intimated he felt between a rock and a hard place.
“No, not really, but I don’t think I’d have done any better on the Soft either,” he said. “So, I wanted to try something different. It was a very strange session altogether.
“Probably the strangest one of the year where every single lap felt bad. The tyres felt poor every single lap.
“So, yeah, very strange. Part of me feels that it was almost damage limitation when I look at where Max ended up and where Lewis ended up.”
READ MORE – The Q3 dip Oliver Bearman is chasing answers to at F1 Brazil GP
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