Two consecutive stages of the season will take place on city circuits, with the softest tyres at the teams’ disposal in Baku and Singapore, but here the similarities practically end, as Mercedes driver George Russell spoke at a press conference at the Marina Bay circuit.
George Russell: “Every race at this stage of the season is unique in its own way. Of course, the Baku circuit has its own characteristics, the Singapore circuit has its own characteristics, and I agree that the battle for leadership has become extremely intense now. The front row is separated by only one or two tenths from third or even fourth, so the fight has been exciting.
Last year in Singapore we were able to set a good pace and let’s hope we can repeat that and see what happens.
In the second stage of the race in Baku last Sunday we were so competitive that we surprised ourselves. I hope that in Marina Bay, thanks to the 4th DRS zone, the competition on the track will become more interesting – it will certainly not be worse, there is no doubt about that. I do not rule out that there will be a possibility of overtaking.
Although the result will mainly depend on the results of qualifying, this is an important point. If we can do a good job on Saturday, it will pave the way for success in the race.”
Last year in Singapore George was one of the contenders for at least a podium finish, but he made a mistake on the last lap and crashed his car. Today he was asked if he thought he had some unfinished business at this circuit.
“No, I don’t think so,” Russell replied. “These kinds of accidents are part of racing on city circuits and if you can’t keep maximum concentration every lap, you’re going to be in trouble.
“I was already on the last lap, behind Lando Norris and thought the race was almost over, but I hit the wall. But these things happen, and what happened last year will not change my approach to this race. Although it was of course a lesson for me that I will take into account this weekend.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
