George Russell: We are advancing faster than the competition

In Barcelona, ​​George Russell achieved the best result of the season and believes that the novelties prepared by the team have played an important role …

Q: George, for the first time since last year’s stage in Brazil you were able to climb the podium. From the 12th, did you assume this was possible?
George Russell: After a failed qualifying I understood that it was difficult to count on the podium, but on Sunday morning I woke up with a positive mood and decided to myself that I could definitely fight for 5-6th place.

I thought that third place was unachievable, but in the race the car was good, the team worked really well with the strategy and I made some important overtakes.

Massive thanks to the team for these updates, but we can’t be complacent. We understand that it may be different in the upcoming races, because in Barcelona Aston Martin and Ferrari looked a bit worse than usual.

Q: At what point did you realize that the podium is possible?
George Russell: Pretty early. After the first lap I believed it was possible as I saw other cars entering the pit lane. My tires were fine, the car is fast, so after two laps I thought the podium was possible.

Q: What do you think of the updated car?
George Russell: I really liked the car in the race, but we know there is a lot to improve. Sunday was a little cooler, which may have worked in our favor. We know our race pace is good, but we need to take a big step to overtake Red Bull. Second and third place don’t suit us. We want to fight for victory.

Q: Can you say this car is the best of the last year and a half?
George Russell: I think so, but we are on different circuits. Many of the new roads have fresh asphalt, but here or in Bahrain it’s old, abrasive – and the tires wear faster. During the race, the relatively cool weather made me feel very comfortable.

The team did a great job. During the night Mick Schumacher and the base engineers worked on the simulator to help us prepare for today’s race. We’re moving in the right direction, faster than anyone else. It is important to ensure that this leads to the desired result next year.