George Russell admits he was surprised to secure pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix after struggling early in the weekend, but is wary of the first Max Barstappen threat.
McLaren was expected to return to form in Singapore, but it was Mercedes who set the pace for the qualifying round, with Russell completing two impressive laps sufficient for Paul’s position. Despite crashing on FP2 on Friday, Russell says he had to work hard to find the performance he needed on Saturday.
- Qualifying Report: Russell Edges Verstappen on Singapore GP Pole
“It’s amazing to be in Paul’s position,” Russell said. “Yesterday was a very challenging day for a variety of reasons, but it’s good to be back today and get good results. Of course, tomorrow will have a long, sweaty race, but I knew there was a possibility for the car.
“You (Antoneri) had a great job all weekend. I actually got quite a lot of stuff yesterday afternoon seeing what he could do. I was so happy. It was amazing.
“There are weekends when I drove around a bit earlier and hit the ground. Not others. This weekend was very strange. The grip is very high from the tarmac, but the car is slipping quite a bit.
“I wasn’t very confident in myself. Obviously yesterday’s crash retreated me again. But I always remind myself, it doesn’t matter what happens on Friday.
Rather than securing a front row start alongside title outsider Verstappen, Russell admits he is predicting a strong McLaren heading into the race weekend.
“I know that McLaren is usually very good in tires in hot conditions, and I think we’re all a bit surprised by the lack of pace this weekend.
“So I don’t know if I’ll be in tomorrow or not. I’m the only driver I haven’t been to in the long term, so that’s not my favour. But of course, overtaking is challenging here.
“Singapore has never been the kindest thing to me in the past. It’s been done in the past myself, so I’m not going to get hooked on this pole’s position. Of course, there’s the advantage of a good poleside here.