Russell ‘definitely’ confident of fighting for Sprint win in Qatar as downbeat Hamilton declares himself ‘not fast anymore’

There were contrasting emotions at the Mercedes team after Sprint Qualifying in Qatar, with George Russell thrilled by his strong drive to P2 on the grid while Lewis Hamilton was downbeat after feeling he was “just slow” in P7.

Off the back of his victory last time out in Las Vegas, Russell looked to have carried this form over to the Lusail International Circuit. The Briton had a good session throughout, culminating in him disrupting a potential McLaren front row lockout by snatching second place in the final moments of SQ3, meaning he will start alongside pole-sitter Lando Norris for the Sprint.

A smiling Russell explained afterwards: “[I] felt really strong all session. The car was really great and this circuit is really one of the best, when you get in the groove and that rhythm.

“It’s so fast, I went flat through the high-speed for the first time on my final lap in Q3 and confused the engine a little bit. I don’t know how much I lost, but I had a big recharge on the exit of the corner because I went through it flat, way too technical for this interview!

“But that was a bit annoying, when it’s like… I just nailed it and then I lost a load of the speed on the exit, but I think Lando was just a smidge out of reach.”

‘We’ve got nothing to lose’ – P2 Russell ‘felt really strong’ in Qatar Sprint Qualifying

Asked if he is confident of taking the fight to Norris in the final 100km dash of the season, Russell responded: “Yeah, definitely.

“I think they’re in a championship fight, we’ve got nothing to lose – we’re going for the big result, so we’ll try and make a good start. Of course the Sprint is just a Sprint, we need to put our focus on qualifying as well, and so far so good.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from Sprint Qualifying in Qatar as Norris storms to pole ahead of Russell and Piastri

Hamilton, meanwhile, was left disappointed by his performance in the session, with the seven-time world champion labelling it “[the] same as every other qualifying – not that great”.

Pushed on what the challenges of this Sprint Qualifying were, Hamilton answered: “I’m just slow, and [it’s the] same every weekend. The car felt relatively decent, no issues. Not really much more to say.”

Hamilton downbeat after ’slow’ performance in Sprint Qualifying

In terms of whether the long run pace from Friday’s earlier practice session hinted at being able to extract more from the W15 going forward, the 39-year-old reflected: “The long run didn’t feel too bad, but when you’re always back where I am it makes it really hard to be competing for – well, almost impossible pretty much – to be competing for wins from there.

“But that’s the Sprint, I’ll do what I can tomorrow.”

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from Sprint Qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix

Hamilton added that there were “not particularly” any positives for him to take, other than that “the car is fast, and George should be able to shoot for pole tomorrow”.

And when quizzed further on the root of the qualifying troubles – given his comment that the car is quick – Hamilton said: “Who knows. I’m definitely not fast anymore.”