Third Row Start for George and Kimi in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix
George Russell will start tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix from P5, with teammate Kimi Antonelli just behind in P6, marking a promising setup for an exciting race ahead.
In what proved to be a fiercely competitive qualifying session, several drivers were in contention for pole position. However, a snap of oversteer at Turn 2 compromised George Russell’s final lap, preventing him from improving on his initial Q3 time. Despite his efforts, the Mercedes driver had to settle for P5.
On the other hand, Kimi Antonelli saved his best performance for the final lap, setting a time of 1:27.555 to secure P6, his best starting position in Formula 1 to date. He will start alongside Russell on the third row, offering an intriguing prospect for the team.
George Russell: “P5 Feels Like an Underachievement”
Reflecting on his qualifying performance, George Russell admitted to feeling a sense of underachievement. “We’ve looked strong all weekend and I believe we had a car capable of challenging for the front row,” he said. “Unfortunately, we just didn’t bring the lap together at the critical moment.”
Russell explained that the track temperature had dropped as the session progressed, making his final lap more difficult. “The tires were a little too cold at the start of the lap, and I had a big moment at Turn 2. That cost me a couple of tenths, and I couldn’t improve on my first run.”
Despite his disappointment, Russell remains optimistic about the race. “P5 isn’t a terrible position to start. We’ve had good pace all weekend, and I’m feeling confident in the car,” he added. “Whether it’s wet or dry, I think we can be in contention for a podium. If it rains, this circuit can get chaotic, as we saw in Melbourne, so we’ll aim to take advantage of any situation.”
Kimi Antonelli: “P6 is a Good Result”
Kimi Antonelli, who has been steadily improving throughout the weekend, expressed satisfaction with his qualifying result. “I wasn’t putting the lap together as I knew I needed to during practice. Going into Qualifying, I didn’t have a huge amount of confidence, but we kept working hard,” Antonelli said.
The Italian driver credited his team for their support throughout the session. “Bono has been a great help, and Valtteri has been giving me plenty of advice. I made progress lap by lap, and P6 is a solid result in the end.”
Although he was pleased with the outcome, Antonelli acknowledged there was more performance to unlock. “There was still a bit more in the car, especially in Sector 1. If I had improved there, maybe we could have started further ahead,” he explained. “But I’m happy with what we managed to extract, and there are many positives to take away from it.”
Looking ahead to the race, Antonelli is excited about the forecasted conditions. “With the weather, it could be an interesting race. I wouldn’t mind a little bit of rain,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of data to analyze tonight and will focus on improving for tomorrow’s race. I’m looking forward to continuing to build my confidence and hopefully bring home some good points.”
