Mercedes experienced a day of contrasts on Saturday at the Dutch Grand Prix in Formula 1. George Russell celebrated all the results achieved during the day, while Kimi Antonelli also praised the form but lamented the difficulties faced.
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The Brit started the day on the right foot by winning the Sprint race starting from pole position. In the later qualifying, he secured the second row and starts second alongside pole-sitter Lando Norris.
“It was good to start the day with a win in the Sprint. It was a controlled race, where I was mainly managing the tires and the advantage over those behind. We saw how close the front pack is, so track position was crucial. Overall, it’s positive to see that we returned from the summer break with good pace, and that gave me and the team a confidence boost,” he said.
In the afternoon, we had an intense qualifying finish. We knew there was rain coming near the end of Q3, so we chose to bring forward our fast lap program. On my final attempt, the first half of the lap was strong, the best of my weekend. I made a small mistake in the second half, which raised the tire temperature and caused the lap time to worsen a bit. It was a shame, as I think pole position was possible.”
“Tomorrow will be an interesting race. The McLarens looked quick in the Sprint and have a good track position with Norris. The Ferraris have also been fast, so it’s good for us that they qualified behind us. Track position is important, but it will be a long Grand Prix, with many interesting strategic options; we’ll see what Sunday holds,” he added.
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Meanwhile, the Italian championship leader finished fourth in the Sprint race and third in qualifying. Despite being happy with the pace, he admitted facing some difficulties in Zandvoort. “Today was not one of the easiest days for me. I didn’t feel completely comfortable with the car, especially in Q1 of qualifying, and it was hard to find the rhythm. I started to regain the ideal feeling reaching Q3, but unfortunately, I made a mistake at Turn 1 during my last attempt.”
“It’s a shame because the first sector cost me about two tenths and, although I managed to recover some of that in sectors two and three — and still did a lap good enough for third position, we could have fought for pole. Starting from the second row is not bad at all, and there is still a lot at stake for tomorrow. The pack is incredibly balanced, so I’m satisfied to have secured a good grid position despite the challenges.”
“Tomorrow we will need to attack when opportunities arise, but doing so smartly. The podium is certainly within reach, but our focus is to maximize the result and take advantage of any opportunity that appears,” he concluded.
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