George Russell converted his sprint pole at Zandvoort. Although the Brit was still pressured by Lando Norris, the Mercedes W17 was ultimately a size too big for the McLaren driver. The Mercedes driver crossed the finish line first just as it started pouring down over the circuit in the dunes. Russell thus takes important World Championship points in his title fight with teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who finished fourth: “I’m glad the rain only came after the finish.”
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George Russell was able to drive to victory from the first starting position in the shortened race at Zandvoort. Although Lando Norris from second place was still able to put pressure on his compatriot, the Mercedes driver pulled away from the world champion in the final phase. Thus, Russell won the very first, and immediately last, sprint race at Zandvoort.
“A great start to the weekend,” says Russell with a broad smile after the session to David Coulthard. “I was just talking about it with Lando (Norris, ed.) and Charles (Leclerc, ed.), but one more lap and it could have been a very different end to the race. So I’m glad the rain only came after the finish. The Ferraris looked very fast and it’s really going to be exciting this afternoon.”
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‘Expected overtaking moves only at the end’
Although Russell’s victory was not in danger, the Mercedes driver could not immediately pull away at the start of the sprint. “I knew that if overtaking moves came, it would be towards the end,” he continues. “That’s why I wanted to look after my tires and make sure I could still defend at the end. I knew that if Lando or Charles overtook, they would be very fast. As soon as I saw Charles behind me as well, I went full throttle again and we were able to pull away together.”
Read everything about the Dutch GP in Zandvoort here
