Russell reveals clear and present 'goal' in Qatar GP

George Russell isn’t heading into Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix thinking about personal glory. He’s thinking about points – specifically, the points Mercedes need to lock down second place in F1’s Constructors’ Championship.

With the team sitting 41 clear of Red Bull and needing just 44 by the end of the weekend to make the position mathematically safe, Russell made it clear where his priorities lie.

After securing fourth position on Sunday’s grid – and following a strong P2 in Saturday’s Sprint between McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris – Russell was asked whether Max Verstappen outqualifying him came as a surprise. His answer was a quick reality check.

“Not really because it's so tight out there,” he said.

“We knew it was going to be tight, my lap yesterday was maybe slightly better than the one today so it is annoying to miss out on P3 by such a small margin but we've got to remember what our goal this weekend is and that's to finish P2 in the Constructors'.

“Between Kimi and I, we're in a good place to achieve that.”

It’s the kind of team-first mindset Mercedes have been urging all year – especially with the chase pack closing in and McLaren looking increasingly dangerous.

Strong Sprint Pace Fuels Mercedes Optimism

With a mandated two-stop race ahead – courtesy of a 25-lap life cap on every Pirelli tyre – Russell believes Mercedes’ race-day pace might allow him to pressure the McLarens and Verstappen up front.

“The pace did look strong in the Sprint, up there with Lando and Max,” he said. “I think Max had a bit more tyre wear than we did when we saw the photographs of his tyres.

“Let's see if we can move forward, I'm sure those guys will be pushing full gas but fortunately the strategy is defined for us.”

His teammate, rookie Kimi Antonelli, will launch directly behind him from P5 after a much smoother qualifying session than Friday’s bumpy Sprint shootout.

“Definitely was a big improvement compared to yesterday,” Antonelli said.

“I'm not too happy about the last lap in Q3, I had a big moment in Turn 1 and just lost quite a bit of time and just lost momentum to be fair.

“The lap was a bit scrappy, but overall still P5 and lot to play for tomorrow.”

• Read also: Mercedes solves mystery behind Antonelli’s subtle Vegas jump start

With both cars inside the top five, Mercedes head into the race holding the cards they need.

For Russell, the mission is simple: keep it clean, keep the pressure on the leaders, and – above all – bring home the vital points that seal second place. The personal battles, as he made clear, can wait.

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