George Russell rues "confusing the engine" in Qatar sprint qualifying

George Russell intends to make life difficult for pole-sitter Lando Norris in the sprint race in Qatar.

Russell qualified second, behind Norris, in sprint qualifying at the F1 Qatar Grand Prix on Friday.

That is despite "confusing" his Mercedes and losing time at a crucial time, which he regretted.

The in-form Mercedes driver has vowed to fight his McLaren counterpart for victory in Saturday’s sprint.

“Yeah definitely,” he insisted. “They’re in a championship fight, we’ve got nothing to lose.

“We’re going for the big results. We’ll try and make a good start.

“Of course the sprint is just a sprint, we need to put our focus on qualifying as well. So far, so good.”

The sprint race on Saturday comes before qualifying for the grand prix. The long race is on Sunday.

Russell is fresh off victory at last weekend’s F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix and wants more at the penultimate round of the season.

He said about his W15 on Friday: “Felt really strong all session, the car was really great and this circuit is really one of the best.

“When you get in the groove and that rhythm, it’s so fast.

“I went flat through the high-speed for the first time on my final lap in Q3 and confused the engine a little bit.

“I don’t know how much I lost, but I had a big recharge on the exit of the corner because I went through it flat.

“But that was a bit annoying when I nailed it, and then lost a bit of speed on the exit.

“But I think Lando was just a smidge out of reach.”

Norris’ drivers’ title hopes ended in Las Vegas when Verstappen did enough to wrap up his fourth title in a row.

But McLaren still lead the constructors’ championship, with Ferrari and Red Bull breathing down their necks.

For Russell, after victory ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton in Vegas, he is aiming to establish himself as Mercedes’ top man ahead of 2025.

When Hamilton goes to Ferrari next year, Russell will be the senior driver alongside Kimi Antonelli.