George Russell secured fourth on the grid for the F1 Abu Dhabi GP after a close qualifying session that featured two narrow escapes.
The Brit had built his momentum throughout the weekend, finishing sixth in FP1, third in FP2, and topping FP3. He carried that form into qualifying and led the times in Q2, but was unable to match the title contenders in Q3. Ultimately he was 0.4s off Verstappen, and a couple of tenths away from the McLaren drivers.
Close calls in Q3
Speaking after qualifying, Russell reflected on a tricky Q3 outing where he nearly hit the barrier on his first run at Turn 14 and had a second moment at the final corner, but still recovered to claim P4.
“Uh yeah, it was tricky to be honest. I think realistically I knew we weren’t in the fight with the top 3. I was top of Q2 but those three drivers were on used tyres. So, I over-pushed in Q3. It wasn’t a clean session, but the result was never going to be higher than P4,” he said.
A hint for a tow
Ahead of his final Q3 attempt at the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, George Russell asked Mercedes to release him from the pits at the same time as Max Verstappen, hoping to pick up a tow from the Red Bull driver. He was hoping his arch rival would help him against the McLarens.
“Yeah, well, it was more of a hint to Red Bull on their pit wall to sort of consider it,” Russell explained. “Yeah, because obviously Max went early in Q3, run one, so he kind of was in a position to do that, and they obviously need somebody in the mix.”
Verstappen needs two cars between himself and the championship leader, Lando Norris, to claim his fifth title during Sunday’s race.
Race strategy and opportunities
When asked if he senses an opportunity in the race, given Verstappen’s strategy and the race dynamic, Russell responded: “I mean, if we finish lap one in the order we start the race, then definitely. He’s [Verstappen] not just going to drive off into the distance and hand Lando an easy podium, but everything can change after lap one. If Lando makes a good start and gets the lead, the championship’s done and dusted. So, we’re not at the pace, but I’m confident there’ll be opportunities.”
He further analyzed how Verstappen could look to control the race pace: “Yeah, well, I think backing up the pack on a street track, as an example, is a very normal thing to do. You know, Singapore, you control the pace and then you try and extend the gap around the pit stops. So, you don’t need to drive like a hooligan or dangerously to do that. You can just manage by three or four tenths more and that will condense the pack.
“At some tracks, you can easily drop half a second or a second at certain points without being dangerous, without causing risk to yourself. So, yeah, you’d expect him to be doing that,” he concluded.
