George Russell blames a “collective” misjudgement for Sao Paulo pole miss after rain-hit qualifying

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

George Russell described qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos as both frustrating and ultimately confidence-building after the timing of a second lap was compromised by torrential rain. The Mercedes driver felt “a bit held up” and, more importantly, believed a collective call had cost the team the pole he thought “would’ve been good enough for pole.”

Russell’s reaction followed a qualifying session in which weather swings defined the final shape of the timing sheets. With rain intensifying after the first runs in Q3, he reported that Mercedes told him to back off with Alex Albon just ahead, assuming the team would get another chance to complete another lap. Russell said that assumption proved incorrect, leaving his lap faster up to that point than polesitter Lando Norris.

In explaining the sequence, Russell said: “Pole was ours for the taking there. It was just a misjudgement from us collectively as a team to abort my second lap.” He added that the team believed there would be “another 60s without the rain,” but that the session’s conditions changed sooner than expected. Russell stated that, even with Albon’s presence, the lap “still would’ve been good enough for the pole.”

Russell also discussed the psychological effect of the weekend’s setbacks, coming after he and Mercedes had recently dealt with the disappointment of losing out on the Drivers’ Championship to his team mate Kimi Antonelli. In Sao Paulo, he said the qualifying outcome still gave him confidence for Sunday. “It reminds me again that I’ve not forgotten how to drive,” Russell said, pointing to the importance of staying composed in difficult circumstances.

The penalty situation is a key part of Sunday’s picture. Russell’s five-place grid penalty will demote him to P7, even though he will still be in range to capitalize on Mercedes’ championship objective. Mercedes, according to the qualifying report, will be seeking to score the three extra points they need to beat Ferrari for the Teams’ Championship.

For Antonelli, qualifying at Interlagos had a different dynamic. He moved into a strong grid position despite the wet conditions, starting P2. The Italian driver acknowledged that understanding the track in the rain was challenging, saying it was “first time around here in the wet,” and that the session proved “not easy.”

Antonelli said he made “two big mistakes during the lap,” which he felt cost his chance at a better position. Still, he expressed readiness for the race with an expectation that wet conditions could be favourable for his approach given the additional experience gained. “If it’s wet it’s going to be fun,” Antonelli said, while also adding that if the race is dry his team will “do our best,” calling the qualifying session a period of significant learning even if it was “not how I wanted it to go.”