Russell: Best lap came last in Q3 – but Mercedes puzzled by pace

George Russell delivered a dramatic final lap in Saturday’s British GP qualifying, securing a fourth-place start despite Mercedes’ struggles to find the expected pace in cooler conditions at Silverstone.

The British driver admitted the team was left “scratching our heads” after falling short of anticipated performance, only unlocking the car’s potential in the closing moments of Q3.

Mercedes had high hopes for the weekend, with team principal Toto Wolff predicting that the cooler weather would play to the strengths of their W16 car.

However, while temperatures were relatively elevated on Friday’s opening day of running, slightly cooler conditions on Saturday didn’t play to Mercedes’ advantage, while Ferrari’s surprising pace caught the Silver Arrows off guard.

Both Russell and teammate Kimi Antonelli barely progressed through Q1 and Q2, hovering in 11th and 12th before scraping into Q3 in eighth and ninth.

The Briton’s first Q3 lap left him a distant sixth, trailing the McLarens, Ferraris, and pole-sitter Max Verstappen by over half a second.

It was Russell’s final flyer that turned the tide, shaving enough time to leapfrog both Ferrari drivers and secure a second-row start, just 0.137 seconds off Verstappen’s pole time.

“Yeah, really pleased with that last lap – every lap until that point we were anywhere from five-tenths to eight-tenths off the pace,” Russell told the media.

“We were scratching our heads a little bit today because we thought with the colder conditions things would come more towards us and it was only that last lap in Q3 when it did so. It’s always good when your best lap of the weekend is the last one.”

Cooler Conditions Fail to Deliver Expected Edge

Despite the strong finish, Russell admitted Mercedes was left disappointed by their overall pace.

“Yeah, I do think today was probably, on the whole, it was less competitive than we were potentially expecting,” Russell explained.

“I think the likes of Ferrari have been very competitive this weekend, which was a bit of a surprise. McLaren have brought some little upgrades, we didn’t really bring anything, but we haven’t brought anything for a while now, so we just need to try and understand that.”

Russell suggested that Silverstone’s high-speed layout may have neutralized the expected advantage of cooler conditions. The circuit’s demanding corners generate significant tyre temperatures, despite the lower ambient conditions.

“It is cool, but of course, the circuit is so quick, you’re putting so much energy in the tyres, so much temperature in the tyres,” he noted.

“The tyres are running hotter here compared to what they’re running in Canada, and Canada was a 50-degree track. Here it’s a 25-degree track, but just because of the layout, so that gives it some perspective.”

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With a second-row start secured, Russell remains optimistic about Mercedes’ chances in Sunday’s race, particularly if conditions align with the team’s strengths.

As Russell prepares to race in front of his home crowd, his late qualifying heroics have kept Mercedes in the fight.

However, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on pole and McLaren and Ferrari showing strong pace, the 27-year-old knows a podium finish will require a flawless performance on Sunday.

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