Russell hails positive day, with Mercedes car ‘handling nicely’

George Russell labeled his opening day of running at Suzuka as “positive”, with the Mercedes driver snapping at the heels of McLaren’s Lando Norris in FP1 while enduring, like his colleagues, a disrupted session in FP2 due to circumstances.

The Briton’s single lap pace in Friday’s first session positioned him second in the pecking order, just 0.163s behind Norris.

However, there was little to learn for team and driver in the late afternoon workout, with four red flags disrupting programmes and eroding track time.

Changing Conditions on the Horizon

While confident of carrying his momentum into Saturday, Russell nevertheless feared a forecast calling for a change of conditions.

“From our side, we had a positive day,” Russell said. “The car has been handling nicely, although we know the forecast wind change tomorrow will have an impact.

“McLaren once again looks very strong, and there were several other teams that were competitive on the single lap.

“It's unusual to see so many teams so close together so we will have to be at our best to be competing near the front. If we do the job we know we can do though, I'm confident that we can be in the fight for the front two rows in qualifying.”

More Data Needed on Tyre Degradation

Russell noted that Mercedes’ data on tyre degradation was scarce ahead of Sunday’s race due to the day’s truncated second practice.

“Given the interrupted FP2, we still have a few unknowns heading into the race on Sunday,” he added.

“We were only able to complete four laps on the Hard tyre. We therefore have little data to work with in terms of degradation, and any possible graining, on that compound.

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“There is also a threat of rain for race day which could make things interesting. The important thing for Friday though is that we were competitive on the timing screens and that gives us a good platform to build on.”

Antonelli Still in Learning Mode

On the other side of the Mercedes garage, Kimi Antonelli enjoyed his baptism by fire on Friday, having never visited Suzuka previously in his burgeoning career.

But the 18-year-old took a conservative approach to his preparations by gradually building his pace, setting a solid ninth fastest time in FP1.

“This is my first time at Suzuka and it's an amazing track to drive!” he enthused. “I enjoyed myself out there and I'm looking forward to building my confidence more and more as we head through the weekend.

“FP1 was a solid session for us, and I was able to put together some decent laps. FP2 was much more disrupted, and a little messy on my side. I wasn't able to get a clean lap, and I didn't get the most out of the car in sector one.

“We will work on that overnight, analyse the data, and come back stronger tomorrow.”

Antonelli echoed Russell’s positive overall view on the balance of Mercedes’ W16 silver arrow.

“George did a good job all day and was consistently near the front of the field,” he said.

“The balance of the car also feels good, and I know there is more that I can extract from it. I'm looking forward to getting back out there in FP3 and using that to build positively into qualifying.”

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