news-engine

"It's nice to remind myself that I can still do it," claimed Russell after his Zandvoort sprint pole George Russell made the perfect start to the Dutch Grand Prix weekend by securing pole position for Saturday’s Sprint, delivering a composed performance in Sprint Qualifying at Zandvoort. The Mercedes driver had been narrowly behind team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the only practice session, but found an extra level of performance when it mattered most. Russell produced a clean and precise final flying lap in SQ3 to set a 1:11.567, securing the first Sprint pole of the weekend and the first top spot on the timesheets after the summer break. The result was particularly encouraging for Russell, who admitted that his confidence had not been at its highest heading into the Dutch Grand Prix. “It's been a while since I've been at the top of the timesheets in any session, so it's nice to remind myself that I can still do it and that I've still got it!” Russell said. The summer break provided Russell with an opportunity to reset before returning to competition, and the Mercedes driver explained that he deliberately approached the Zandvoort weekend with a fresh mindset. “The summer break came at a good time and gave me the opportunity to reset and come into this weekend with a fresh mindset,” he explained. “I arrived here with an open mind because my confidence wasn't at its highest level, so I've tried to approach this weekend as though it's the first race of the season, not overthink things and focus on the basics.” So far, that approach has paid dividends. Russell avoided the mistakes that affected his team-mate Antonelli and steadily built his performance throughout Sprint Qualifying before delivering when it counted in SQ3. However, Russell is taking nothing for granted. While Sprint pole gives Mercedes an excellent opportunity to score points, the British driver stressed that the main qualifying session later in the day remains the most important target. “Of course, this is only Sprint Qualifying though and the main Qualifying session tomorrow is the one that really matters,” Russell said. The pace of the opposition is also a concern. McLaren appeared particularly strong, while Ferrari showed competitive speed during FP1, leaving Russell expecting a closely fought Sprint. “McLaren look very quick and Ferrari also seem strong from what we saw in FP1, so we know there's plenty of competition around us,” he added. Russell will therefore need to make the most of his pole position at the start of the Sprint. Zandvoort’s narrow and technical layout traditionally makes overtaking difficult, placing additional importance on track position and a clean getaway. “Overtaking is always a challenge around this circuit, so a clean start will be important if we're going to maximise the result in the Sprint,” Russell explained. Despite the cautious outlook, Russell can be satisfied with his opening performance. After a difficult period before the summer break, the Mercedes driver has immediately put himself in the best possible position for the Sprint and provided an important confidence boost for the rest of the weekend. “For now, it's an encouraging opening to the weekend, but there's still a lot of work to do,” Russell concluded.