George Russell has revealed that traffic at the start of his final flying lap in Qualifying could have cost him a shot at pole position for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with the Mercedes driver set to start third on the grid in Sunday’s race.
The Briton finished nearly two tenths behind polesitter Oscar Piastri and was only 0.137s adrift of Max Verstappen in second on Saturday after Qualifying at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit.
READ MORE: Piastri beats Verstappen and Russell to pole in dramatic Imola Qualifying session
Russell completed his fastest lap on the medium Pirelli tyre as the soft C6 compound, which was introduced for the first time this weekend, struggled for performance over one lap.
But the Mercedes driver left it late to conduct his flying lap, crossing the line with mere seconds remaining as he fought for track position with the Williams of Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin of Lance Stroll that compromised his exit out of the final corner as he prepared to get his hot lap underway.
Could Russell have challenged Piastri for pole with better start to the lap?
«It was always the plan [to run the medium tyre in Q3] to be honest and it was so tight to get the lap in,» said Russell.
«I lost about a tenth down the straight because I had to make a gap to Sainz and then Lance was coming through and I was in first gear starting the lap with wheelspin. I was like, ‘s*** I’ve already lost it!’ But P3 was a good result.»
HIGHLIGHTS: Piastri pips Verstappen to pole at Imola as red flags disrupt Qualifying
Russell has continued his impressive start to the season, which has included starting and finishing inside the top-five at the previous six Grands Prix, with four of those yielding a podium finish.
On his chances for Sunday’s race and continuing that run of form, Russell said: «It’s my job to drive this car as fast as possible and I feel this season I’ve been doing a solid job.
«[I] still feel there’s room to improve with myself but my goal is to get the best result possible, week in and week out, and I think there’s probably only been two sessions this whole season where I’ve felt that I could have done a better job. Probably Japan where I felt I underperformed [and] Miami I was just off the pace but P3 again was the maximum.»
‘P3 was the maximum’ – Russell
Mercedes team mate Kimi Antonelli was unable to bolt on the medium tyres in Q3, having been unable to progress through Q2 after a scruffy lap in front of his home fans.
«I just really struggled, I couldn’t really extract any grip out of the tyres and it was difficult out there,» said the young Italian, who will start 13th on Sunday.
«Especially compared to practice, was a lot different and I struggled to get into the rhythm and to find the grip out there. Of course is a shame to come away with P13 because obviously it is difficult to overtake here.»
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