George Russell says that tyre temperatures were the key to a frustrating qualifying session for the Mercedes Formula 1 driver at Zandvoort.
Russell complained in Q1 that his car was sliding, and that it was difficult to get it turned in slow corners.
An extra set of soft tyres got him out of Q1 in second place, and he was then a solid third in Q2.
However when it mattered in Q3 he overheated his tyres on his quick lap and had to settle for fourth place on the grid.
“It was just a relief to get through Q1 in all honesty,” he said when asked by formu1a.uno about his session.
“It’s always surprising how quickly the fortunes shift. In Q2 my lap felt half-decent, and I was the same pace as McLaren.
“So I went into Q3 thinking I had a shot at pole, and then the pace just didn’t really come.
“We’re doing a great job bringing performance to the car, and we’re clearly catching Red Bull, clearly pulling away from the midfield, but McLaren are improving at the same rate as us.”
Russell made it clear that tyres were the key to his fluctuating form through the session.
“I was on a really strong lap,” he said. “I was matching Lando, and I think I was two-and-a-half tenths up on myself.
“The tyres overheated, and I just lost more performance than I expected in the last half of a lap.
“I’m not too concerned. I think P4 is a strong place to start, and I think we’ll be closer tomorrow.”
Expanding on the overheating issue he said: “It’s all down to the tyres. The car stays exactly the same, but you want to start the lap with your tyres as cold as possible.
“If you go one degree below the limit, you’ll probably lose half a second, if you’re one degree over the limit, you lose a tenth.
“So you’ve kind of balancing this sweet spot. It’s like you’re edging closer to the edge of a cliff, and you go one step too far, and you’re off. And that’s a challenge for everyone.”
Russell is confident that he has a strong package for Sunday’s race.
“I expect a good fight with the McLarens,” he said. “I do think it’s fair to say they’ve still been the quickest in the last couple of races, even in Spa.
“I think Piastri was probably the fastest car out there. But as we’ve seen, if we get the strategy right, you make a good start, that can all change very quickly.”
