George Russell explains what “cost me” in qualifying for F1 Saudi Arabian GP

Mercedes enjoyed a fruitful qualifying session for the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with both cars in the top five - but it could have been better.

George Russell, who will line up third on Sunday in Jeddah, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is fifth, both admitted to errors in qualifying which cost them time.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri start ahead of Russell, who is aiming for back-to-back podiums after last weekend in Bahrain.

George Russell points out error in Saudi Arabia qualifying

“We were on the wrong end of the top three,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told Sky Sports after qualifying in Saudi Arabia.

“There was nothing in it.

“The car seems to be stable now. A good platform to work with.

“Realistically, the McLarens are in a different league on the long runs.

“But in McLaren we were much closer, so let’s see what happens…”

Russell had “mixed feelings” then explained his conundrum: “I went conservative on my out-lap with my tyres.

“It was my one and only lap so I had no bank on the board. I felt that if I made a small mistake at Turn 1, or a lock-up, I’d be down in P10!

“Usually on your last lap in Q3 you are fully, fully sending it.

“I thought ‘I need to go hotter with my tyres to ensure there are no mistakes at Turn 1’.

“It cost me in the last sector. I lost a tenth-and-a-half.

“Around here, you are so close to a mistake. P3 is probably more than we could have hoped for.”

Russell was asked to predict how Sunday’s race will play out, from behind Verstappen and Piastri. The championship leader Lando Norris is 10th due to a crash in qualifying.

Russell said: “Nobody has touched the hard tyres this weekend. Nobody knows if it’s a one-stop or two-stop.

“The hard this year is last year’s medium. Everyone is softer.

“The medium didn’t look good in race pace, there was a lot of degradation.

“If Oscar gets into the lead, I think he’ll clear off. If Max stays in the lead, it will be an interesting one.

“You can be confident that Lando will start on the hard tyres so he will go long. A timely Safety Car could play into his hands.

“The truth is: I don’t know. I want to be consistent, keep getting points and being on the podium.

“But if there’s a chance to do a bold undercut or go long, we’ll try to take it.”

Mistake costs Kimi Antonelli in Saudi Arabia

Teenage rookie Antonelli was left gutted despite qualifying fifth.

It demonstrated the huge strides that Lewis Hamilton’s replacement has already made in just the fifth F1 round of his career.

Wolff noticed: “Kimi made a mistake or he would have been two tenths quicker.”

Antonelli added: “I am a bit disappointed because, on the last lap, I did a mistake.

“Overall, still a decent performance with P5.

“We have had a good start to the season. Last weekend was disappointed but it has been good progressing weekend-to-weekend.”

Antonelli had driven in Saudi Arabia as a Formula 2 driver but insists that experience did not prepare him for F1.

“It’s like night and day,” he said.

“In F1, Sector 1 is impressive. Even after doing three sessions, the first lap at night feels really fast.

“It’s not easy, the walls get closer and closer as you get quicker.

It’s also about finding the right confidence.

“Qualifying is very mentally demanding especially as you progress. “You try to push more every lap. It takes a lot of mental effort, especially if you have long waits with a red flag or between sessions. You lose rhythm.

“Mercedes has helped me massively. I have been with them since 2018 so I feel like a part of the family.

“Going into a season knowing everyone really helps. They don’t put pressure on me.”

Antonelli said about Sunday’s grand prix: “I don’t want to say a target because last week it went badly!”