Can Mercedes win at Silverstone? 'We've got a good fight on our hands'
F1 News
George Russell will start on pole for Sunday's British Grand Prix. He is joined by two other British drivers, teammate Lewis Hamilton, and McLaren's Lando Norris. This is the first British one-two-three start at Silverstone in history. With Max Verstappen not far behind in fourth, Russell is aware he will have a tough battle on his hands if he wishes to covert his pole to a win.
Although he started on pole in Canada, Russell failed to secure the top spot, and finished third behind Verstappen and Norris. Last weekend, in Austria, roles reversed, with Russell securing his first F1 win since 2022. Now, the Mercedes driver hopes to successfully convert his front row position into a win at home, but he is aware it won't be that easy. "Realistically we know we're probably a tenth or two behind Lando and Max but I think we've got a good fight on our hands," he said in Saturday's post-qualifying press conference. "The weather's going to play a huge part in that, it’s been raining and drying up throughout the last couple of days, there's a bit of rain on the forecast tomorrow."
Can Russell win from pole at Silverstone?
Mercedes did well in Canada, finishing third and fourth. Since then, they have improved whilst others have struggled. "We're probably on course for another Montreal-style race where it's going to be very changeable. So it's going to be a long race. As I said, we're riding this wave right now, but it doesn't mean anything because tomorrow is where the points are scored. But we're obviously in a great position to fight for victory," the Brit shared. With another Montreal-style race being likely, given the poor weather conditions drivers have already experienced over the weekend, the Mercedes driver is aware of what he needs to do so he doesn't risk losing the top spot again: "We're all racers. We're pushing the limits. I said after a Montreal, my sort of risk-reward dial was turned up to the max and that sort of played against me at certain points."
"Just remember that the race is won right at the end. It doesn't matter what happens beforehand. So, that was good learning for me. We still came away with a podium, but every single scenario is so different. And, today, for example, in qualifying, it was raining in just three corners and the rest of the track was bone dry, but those two corners, three corners, people were going off the track. So very, very challenging," Russell concluded.