(L to R): George Russell (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 with Mohammed Bin Sulayem (UAE) FIA President in qualifying parc ferme. 25.11.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 23, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, Qualifying Day.
George Russell concedes that fourth place in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix left him with “mixed feelings” after believing pole position was possible post-FP3.
The Briton topped the times for the second time in the weekend during final practice, heightening Mercedes’ optimism it could be in the mix at the sharp end in qualifying.
However, Lewis Hamilton slumped to a Q2 exit while Russell wound up 0.3s adrift of polesitter Max Verstappen. He was also pipped by Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.
Although Russell acknowledges fourth was a fine effort amid Mercedes’ continued struggles over one lap in 2023, he admits his earlier efforts falsely raised expectations.
“A strange day, to be honest,” he reflected. “I think ahead of this weekend, we’d have definitely taken a P4. I felt good in the car but after this morning, we seemed really strong and we thought probably pole was possible but we went out for Q1 and we just didn’t have the same grip as we had earlier.”
Russell later expanded: “I feel good in the car, the last couple of races I’ve felt really strong, really comfortable and just in a nice groove to be honest.
“Mixed feelings because we were so strong this morning in the hotter conditions and the track got a lot cooler this evening which means the track always goes a lot faster.
“We took all the fuel out of the car as everybody does for qualifying and we only made a small jump from the lap time in FP3 to the lap time in qualifying.
“So sort of mixed feelings but I would have taken P4 before the weekend.”
George Russell (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W14. 25.11.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 23, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, Qualifying Day
With Mercedes’ troubled W14 package traditionally faring better in race trim, Russell outlines that he is “100%” targeting a podium finish in Sunday’s 58-lap encounter.
The ex-Williams driver also asserts that he won’t be fixated on preserving Mercedes’ four-point advantage over Ferrari in the fight for second in the Constructors’ standings.
“We haven’t had many [podiums] this year so I want to end this season on a high,” Russell, who will start two places behind Ferrari’s Leclerc, added.
“Of course, we’ve got the fight with Ferrari, but we won’t even be thinking about that we’ll just treat it like any other race and if you go out to achieve the best result possible we’ll achieve P2 in the championship too. That’s the goal, that’s the objective, get a good night’s sleep and go again.”
Russell is resigned to placing eighth in the Drivers’ Championship and currently sits 72 points behind team-mate Hamilton, who secured third position last time out in Vegas.
Having only achieved one top-three finish across the entire campaign, Russell reiterated that he considers his second year with Mercedes to be “one of the worst seasons of my career in terms of results”.
“It’s just been just a really scrappy, messy season,” he rued. I don’t think it’s been through a lack of speed. We’ve had really strong pace in many, many races but just never achieved that result on a Sunday.”
However, Russell has denied that “bad luck” is to blame for his trying season, insisting that Mercedes must construct a stronger car to emerge as a credible contender next year.
“There’s a reason every single race, whether it’s me crashing into a wall [from third on the last lap in Singapore] or the rain coming down in Zandvoort on the wrong lap or the engine breaking down in Melbourne. It’s just tiny little things which you can say ‘Easy to rectify that’. But when it happens once or twice, you can put it down to bad luck. When it happens on maybe nine, 10, 11 occasions throughout the year, it’s definitely not luck.
“Ultimately, the car isn’t quick enough. We need to keep on pushing. When the competition’s so high, one small mistake and you drop a number of places.”
Keyword: Russell thought ‘pole was possible’ in Abu Dhabi after FP3