George Russell dominated all sessions of the sprint qualifying in Shanghai on Friday. As a result, the Mercedes driver also took the sprint pole. Little surprise, given the speed of the Silberpfeile compared to the rest of the field. Russell is grateful for his W17 and praises his team for the impressive performance in China. Teammate Kimi Antonelli followed in P2, also with a significant lead over the rest of the field.
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“The car just felt great,” Russell reacted contentedly. “In Melbourne, it already became clear that we have a fantastic package and a fantastic engine. It’s simply a joy to drive this car. I’m curious how our lap times compare to last year, because it all felt very fast,” he noted. The interviewer interrupted him: “You were seven tenths slower than last year,” she remarked. “Ah, we’re getting close,” he laughed.
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Russell is focusing on a good start during the first sprint race of the year. After starting from P1 in Australia, he was immediately challenged by Ferrari, which generally seems to get off the line faster. “Since Melbourne, we have worked very hard on a good start,” he explained. “The first laps were obviously a bit challenging in Australia.” Charles Leclerc managed to overtake Russell a few times but eventually had to concede. “It’s unreal how much support we get here in China,” Russell finally addressed the fans. “I see so many blue caps in the crowd.”
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