George Russell was taken aback by his second-place finish in the qualifying round for the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver had to concede to Oscar Piastri, but he hadn’t dared to think that he could beat even one McLaren earlier in the day.
After the race, a delighted George Russell told F1 TV, “I think if someone had told us we would be within half a second of the McLarens, we would have accepted it immediately. We thought that P3 was the best we could hope for. So to finish second is really a bonus.”
Russell couldn’t match Oscar Piastri’s time. However, the difference was smaller than initially thought, and Russell finished well above Lando Norris, who qualified sixth. “I think the difference lies in the fact that the track temperature is now lower due to the evening. We saw it this morning during the third free practice: when it was warmer, the McLarens got stronger. But as the qualifying progressed, we got faster and faster. P2 is a good starting position for tomorrow. But realistically, I think it will be a challenge to compete with Oscar.”
