After finishing P3 in the F1 São Paulo GP Sprint, George Russell feels “good” for the main race on Sunday.
The two-time race winner in 2025 was able to improve on his P4 sprint start to celebrate a double Mercedes podium. Teammate Kimi Antonelli finished in second after fighting for the win, with the Briton in third. With a red flag and a chaotic final lap, Russell was able to score crucial points for his team.
Mercedes regained its lead against Ferrari in the Contractors’ Championship for P2. The Brackley-based team now has a six-point lead after their 2-3 finish in the sprint. However, Russell noted the importance of qualifying for the main race on Sunday.
When asked about the sprint finish, the 27-year-old answered, “Yeah, I mean, it was a good race for us both. We did a great job and obviously put Lando under a bit of pressure.”
George Russell continued about the F1 São Paulo GP Sprint, “And yeah, P2, P3 was a really good result. But we need to try and do the same again this afternoon qualifying so tight. And it’s very difficult to overtake at the moment. So that’s going to be key.”
Insights for the Grand Prix
The Mercedes driver was able to preview the tyre conditions for the main race tomorrow during the São Paulo GP sprint. However, with the W16 performing best in cooler conditions, Russell notes the team “feel good” with their chances on Sunday.
When asked about insights gained for the race, Russell responded, “No, I mean, it’s so different when you’re doing the qualifying laps versus the consecutive. There’s a lot of tyre degradation there. So at the end, it was a bit difficult. And I think Lando was struggling. But no, we feel good. The temperatures are cool and we know how we like it. So let’s see what we can do later.”
