George Russell continued his strong performance this season securing a P2 at the F1 Azerbaijan GP. Despite feeling under the weather this weekend, the Brit delivered a stellar performance. After Saturday’s chaotic Qualifying, the Mercedes driver lined up fifth on the grid. Russell’s race did not have the strongest start as Yuki Tsunoda overtook him at the start and the Brit was blocked by his teammate. However, once he got the opportunity to get past the few drivers ahead, the rest was smooth sailing for the driver.
Russell on his performance: “it was just staying out of trouble”
Lap 19 saw Russell hunting down Liam Lawson for P3 after his teammate, Kimi Antonelli headed into the pits. Already 28 laps in, the Brit had moved his way into P2, and with a quick pitstop for mediums, he was able to hold on to his position ahead of Carlos Sainz as he overcut his teammate, the Spaniard and the New Zealander.
Speaking about his race today in the FIA press conference, Russell explained that their results were also more circumstantial today.
“I think it was just staying out of trouble, to be honest. I don’t think we had a spectacular weekend, to be honest. And, obviously, Carlos [Sainz] just did an amazing job, and Liam [Lawson] also did a great job yesterday qualifying ahead of us. But all of the cars who we ordinarily fight sort of made mistakes or underperformed, and we sort of picked up the pieces. So, obviously, really happy to finish P2 all things considered. But also, I think the cool temps helped us a little bit. So just good to capitalise on all of those things.”
Russell has had plenty of superb races this season. The Azerbaijan GP P2 finish becomes his 7th podium of the season. The British driver currently sits fourth in the Driver’s Championship with 212 points. The Mercedes team moved up to P2 with 290 points after Baku.
The W16 excels in cooler temperatures
Additionally, the Briton was asked if the W16 is better in qualifying or races. Russell took the time to explain the closeness of the pack and the importance in the differences of specific circuits. Despite, his P2 finish and teammate, Kimi Antonelli’s P4, the 27-year-old is not confident the strong momentum will continue in different environments.
“I think it’s very dependent circuit to circuit. Definitely, this weekend, the conditions and the circuit layout probably suited our car better than we’ll see in Singapore. But right now, the field is so compact and overtaking is pretty difficult. So it seems like anybody can do an amazing lap and get themselves up the order. And, to be honest, it’s pretty incredible seeing the likes of Carlos, Hülkenberg, Hadjar on the podium this season,” Russell stated.
The W16 has proved to deliver a stronger performance in cooler temperatures while struggling at the warmer races. The next race takes place in Singapore, one of the toughest and hottest races on the calendar. Russell’s doubt of the W16’s consistency in the warmer regions is understandable.
Fortunate timing
Moreover, Russell had to skip media day duties on Thursday as the driver felt under the weather. During the practice sessions, the Brit still sounded rough as he was not feeling the best. The Mercedes driver continued on to be asked about how physically tough the race was because of feeling ill.
“Well, fortunately, it was Baku. Even though it’s one of the toughest circuits, mentally and physically it’s maybe one of the easiest. So today I’m much better. Friday and Saturday, I was really rough.
“And, you know, had it been Singapore, as an example, I think I probably would have called it a day on Friday, to be honest, and probably wouldn’t have done the race. So, yeah, sort of fortunate timing. And I haven’t been ill for a couple of years, actually, so it just all sort of hit me at once these days, but I’m on the up now.”
Still with being under the weather, the Brit delivered a stellar performance. The Mercedes driver has shown his ability to deliver a wonderful performance multiple times, even under less than ideal circumstances.
