“I believe we did a terrific job in Q1, in Q2, pulled the laps collectively,” Russell commented. “However finally the automotive wasn’t as aggressive right here because it has been at different circuits, and we knew that coming into this race weekend.
“We’ve had three circuits in a row now which have been high-speed circuits and high-speed [tracks] are our weak spot, and that’s simply the character of the calendar. We noticed we have been way more aggressive in Bahrain.
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“On the face of it, the outcome isn’t nice. The race will likely be a very completely different story tomorrow, however we’re simply going to need to carry on working away and see how we carry out at a circuit that fits us just a little bit higher.”
Pushed on what he expects for Sunday given how tight the margins have been between the sector thus far, Russell answered: “Yeah, actually tight. I believe it’s going to be in all probability a two-stop race no less than. It’s all the time excessive tyre degradation round right here at Suzuka, so I believe that provides you choices with the technique.
“However on the finish of the day, it was so tight in qualifying, I count on the same story tomorrow, so observe place might be going to be key.”
In the meantime, Mercedes have been on the receiving finish of a €5,000 superb – however not a grid drop – after the stewards discovered that they’d unsafely launched Russell into the trail of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in Q1.
