Mercedes was satisfied with the classification of the Belgian GP of Formula 1 this Saturday (18). While Kimi Antonelli once again starts from pole position this year, George Russell comes right behind in third place.
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The Briton only managed the fourth fastest time in the qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps, but Lando Norris, who was third, has to serve a ten-place penalty. As a result, the driver moves up one position and shows optimism for the race on Sunday, the 19th.
“I was satisfied with my last lap in Q3 today and felt it could have been enough for the front row. I have been struggling with my pace in recent races, and we are all working hard to try to find a solution. Several factors may be at play, but I focused on my driving style this weekend to see if that helped improve the situation. There were some encouraging signs, but it is clear that our power delivery was also not as expected here. As a team, we continue to investigate all possible options to understand how to eliminate this disadvantage,” he said.
“The positive news is that we still have a solid starting position, in third place, and as Kimi demonstrated by securing pole position, the car is fast. Anything can happen here at Spa, and it usually does, so I hope we can have a good race tomorrow. I will fight hard and give my best,” he added.
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Meanwhile, the 19-year-old enjoys his sixth pole position of the year with a margin of more than 0.3 seconds over Max Verstappen, who also received help from Isack Hadjar, who provided a slipstream on his fast laps in Q3.
“It’s great to get pole position, especially on a track where I had difficulties last year. Q1 was quite tricky due to variable wind conditions, but we improved throughout the session. The car behaved very well in Q3, and I was satisfied with my final lap as I managed to put everything together perfectly,” he said.
“Pole on Saturday is an excellent result, but the points are earned tomorrow. A good start will be crucial, especially because of the long stretch to Turn 5; therefore, our focus is on completing the job in the race. The team did an amazing job overnight to improve the car, and I trust the package we have. High tire degradation is expected, so we will analyze everything carefully tonight to ensure we are in the best possible position for the GP,” he added.
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