George Russell secured second place on the starting grid for the Formula 1 Japanese GP, after a challenging qualifying session in Suzuka. The driver faced difficulties with the car’s behavior but considered the result positive given the circumstances.
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The Briton highlighted that changes made after FP3 made the car harder to drive. Even so, he managed to secure a place on the front row, which could be decisive on a circuit where overtaking is usually complicated: “It wasn’t a straightforward qualifying session from my side of the garage,” Russell stated. According to him, an adjustment considered small ended up having a larger impact than expected on the car’s balance.
“We made a small setup change after FP3 to balance the car, but it made it much harder to drive,” he explained. The Mercedes driver also revealed that he had to deal with other issues throughout the session: “I was struggling with oversteer and tire overheating, so I had to adjust my driving to find lap time,” he stated.
Furthermore, the team also made additional changes that further complicated the scenario: “We also had to remove a good chunk of the front wing flap, which wasn’t ideal,” he said.
Russell also highlighted that because these are still relatively new cars, small changes can generate significant effects: “These cars are so new that this adjustment might have had a much more dramatic impact than we imagined. With that challenge, finishing the session in P2 is not a bad result,” he evaluated.
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The front-row position is seen as an important opportunity for the race. Russell also highlighted the importance of the start at the Suzuka circuit: “Considering how difficult it is to overtake here, the start will be important,” he stated, indicating that the first corner could define the course of the race.
The British driver also said that the team has been working to improve this aspect: “We are working hard to improve our starts and we will try to ensure we are the leading cars into the first corner,” he added.
Even so, Russell maintains a cautious view for the race: “It will be a long race, so there will be many options,” the Briton concluded, confident in his chances of fighting for a strong result in the Japanese GP.
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