George Russell showed his admiration for former Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton after sprint qualifying in Shanghai, labelling the seven-time world champion’s effort a ‘pretty great lap’ in his post-session interview.
The Brit shared the Mercedes garage with Hamilton for three seasons, and the duo developed a close relationship. Despite enjoying a number of close on-track battles, they are still on strong terms after parting ways, and Russell was quickly on the scene to share a handshake and embrace with the F1 legend in Parc Ferme.
“Pretty happy with the lap in SQ3,” Russell said after sprint qualifying. “Well done to Lewis. That was a pretty great lap. I think P5 was where we were today. It was strange, in SQ2 at one moment I was outside the top 10, the next I jumped up to P2, and it didn’t feel any different, to be honest.
“I think it can just go any way between the top couple of teams. It was a bit of a surprise with McLaren because they were flying in practice, flying in SQ1 and SQ2 but then at the end, Lewis and Max did a good job. We were right behind them as well. I think we’ve got a shot in the Sprint. It could be an interesting race.”
While there were no surprises for Russell when it came to Mercedes’ qualifying positions, the same could not be said for the pole-sitter. Hamilton was left speechless on the radio after he was informed of his first pole in Ferrari overalls.
“I’m just a bit gobsmacked, taken back by it,” he admitted. “I didn’t know when we would get to this position. After last weekend, it was a difficult start to the week. We came here with aggression and wanting to go into the weekend and get the car into a great place. I started out straight away with a better feeling in the car.
“I can’t believe we are at the front, ahead of a McLaren which has been so fast throughout winter testing, Australia and even today. I’m really grateful to be up there with these great drivers and be so close to all these other teams.”
Despite the success, there are still areas of concern for both Ferrari and Mercedes. Russell and Kimi Antonelli struggled to get their tyres into the right window, particularly during SQ1, and lacked the raw pace to fight for the front two rows.
As for Ferrari, there were big swings between themselves and McLaren during the three mini sessions and free practice earlier in the day, and doubts remain as to whether or not Hamilton will have to pace to fend off Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the sprint.
