George Russell claims Mercedes’ pace in qualifying at the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix has the team convinced they can do better than the fourth place he achieved.

The 26-year-old started and finished the race at the Marina Bay Circuit in that position, having benefited from Lewis Hamilton’s alternative tyre strategy, but was outpaced by Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.

Friday was a tough test for Russell, with the Briton explaining that his W15 did not “connect as well” on the streets of Singapore as previous Mercedes rivals.

However, after finishing second fastest in FP3, the two-time grand prix winner locked down the second row of the grid alongside his team-mate in qualifying, leaving the team with high expectations for the race.

“After a very difficult Friday we could have taken P4 at the Grand Prix,” Russell explained in a statement after missing his media duties. “However, our pace in Qualifying made us believe we could have achieved more.

“It was definitely a tough race for us today, not just in terms of pace but also physically.”
Fourth was ‘the best we could have achieved’
Although his team-mates did not challenge him, the move to fourth was not straightforward or easy for Russell.

Charles Leclerc, who started ninth, put the Briton under pressure in the closing stages, on an evening when he felt his Mercedes was best placed to achieve the result he was hoping for.

“The McLarens were impressive and in a different class to us, while Max [Verstappen] had more pace than us,” Russell added.

“We were able to hold off Charles [Leclerc’s] Ferrari in the closing stages, so it was a damage limitation evening really.

“With the speed of the car, that was the best we could achieve.”