Russell Says Mercedes Instruction Cost Him Chance to Challenge Norris for Pole
George Russell qualified second behind Lando Norris in rain-hit Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying, but said a Mercedes call to abort his final flying lap cost him a chance at pole. A five-place grid penalty means Russell will start Sunday’s race in seventh.
George Russell qualified second for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos, but a five-place grid penalty means he will start Sunday’s race in seventh. The Mercedes driver said a team instruction to abort his final flying lap cost him a chance to challenge Lando Norris for pole.
Norris took pole in a rain-hit session that was delayed for nearly an hour and a half because officials judged conditions too dangerous to continue. Russell finished two tenths behind the McLaren driver.
Russell had led Norris by four tenths after their first runs in the final qualifying segment. Mercedes believed he would have time for another push lap, but heavier rain arrived after the team told him to back off while he was behind Williams driver Alex Albon.
“I think it was just a bit of miscommunication,” Russell said. “I need to speak with the team because we believed we'd get another lap before the rain came in.”
He said he had been on a strong lap when the instruction came. “It was very disappointing. I need to understand how it happened and why we got that wrong,” Russell said.
Russell’s penalty came from taking a new internal combustion engine. He said he felt confident in the wet and believed pole had been possible, but Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff questioned whether the interrupted lap would have been fast enough.
“He was 18 milliseconds up on Norris at that stage,” Wolff said. “I don't think it would have” been enough to take pole, according to the available quotation.
The difficult conditions also shaped the rest of the grid. Norris secured his third consecutive pole in Brazil, while Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson qualified on the second row.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified fourth but will drop 10 places because of an engine penalty. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will start at the back after exceeding their engine allowances.
Russell described the opening segment as especially hazardous, citing zero visibility on the straight into Turn Four and aquaplaning at more than 200km/h. He said he enjoys driving in rain, but added that conditions would have made a race unsafe.
The forecast for Sunday called for light rain, leaving teams and drivers preparing for changeable conditions at Interlagos.
