The Briton was fourth in qualifying, three positions behind Antonelli (pole). The problem affects all Mercedes powered cars. Russell trusts that race pace can compensate for the deficit.
George Russell was puzzled after qualifying for the British Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver was fourth on the starting grid, three positions behind his teammate Kimi Antonelli who took pole position.
The Briton, who has never finished better than fifth in his home race, had a complicated start in Q1 when he locked his brakes at Luffield and went off into the gravel, brushing the barriers with his front wing before being able to return to the pits: "I was confused after yesterday's qualifying but looking at the data we realized I was losing all my speed on the straight. Yesterday I lost a couple of tenths on the straight, we thought we had found the problem this morning but it turned out to be a wrong reading. It's the same now, looking at the speed trap, I'm 6 km/h down in the last sector, 3 km/h in the middle, it's not just compared to Kimi but to all the Mercedes powered cars. We don't know what's going on" declared Russell.
The speed problem on the straights is especially worrying for Mercedes at Silverstone, a circuit where engine power is crucial to achieve good qualifying times. Russell trusts that the team can find a solution before Sunday's race: "The team is working hard to understand what it is, it's definitely frustrating. I'm worried about tomorrow because at the moment, we don't know what the problem is or how we're going to solve it. The team will work hard to see if there's anything we can change or find out what the problem could be" he stated.
Despite the difficulties, Bradley Lord, Mercedes deputy team principal, was optimistic about Russell's chances in the race: "A complicated Q1 when he locked the brakes and ended up sliding through the gravel, I think he was quite smart to release the brakes to avoid getting stuck. He managed to get to the end of the gravel and was able to return, from there he had to rebuild his lap, it was a very strong first lap in Q3, the second he said the tires weren't quite ready after waiting in the pit lane and having to warm them up but still, P4 second row, it's a step better than yesterday and I think we saw in the sprint that our tire degradation is quite competitive so I'm sure tomorrow he will be aiming for much more important things" declared Lord.
Russell hopes that the W17's race pace can compensate for the qualifying deficit and allow him to fight for the podium in his home race.
