Russell knows: 'We're losing a lot of speed there compared to Red Bull'

George Russell expected the gap towards Red Bull Racing to be a bit smaller in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Mercedes lost a lot of time on the straights in qualifying, but Russell is still hopeful that Mercedes can fight for a podium finish on Sunday.

Mercedes came fifth and sixth in qualifying, despite the fact they looked faster than Ferrari on Friday. After the success in Brazil, the team had hoped they would be a little closer to the top, but the W13 again suffered several problems at the Yas Marina circuit.

"I think the result was a fair representation of where our car is. The pace was maybe slightly slower than we might have liked or hoped. But I think we are in a good place for tomorrow to fight for a podium," Russell told GPblog and others in Abu Dhabi.

"We are just not efficient enough. Every time we come to these circuits where you have a full range of corners and long straights. Spa being another example, we really struggle. And we just lose so much speed to Red Bull on the straights. It's clear where we need to improve for next year if we want to have a car that is stronger over the course of the season," continued the Briton.

'Verstappen is out of reach'

Verstappen took the final pole position of the season with a gap of over six tenths towards Mercedes. Russell does not expect him to beat the Dutchman on Sunday, but overtaking Ferrari for a podium spot might be possible.

"I think Max definitely is [out of range]. Our pace didn't look too dissimilar to Ferrari on Friday. Maybe they have improved a little bit more than we have. We always know that we manage to find a bit extra compared to the rest of the field on Sunday," Russell said.

Editor-in-chief Tim Kraaij reported live from Abu Dhabi for this article.