Russell confident of himself and car: 'We are definitely in it for the win'

George Russell starts from pole position at the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, with Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly behind him. Lando Norris starts down in P6, behind his title rival Max Verstappen, who can secure his fourth consecutive world title today. Before the race, Russell gave his view on his and Mercedes' chances.

Just before F1's summer break, Mercedes looked like one of the better cars, taking victory in Austria, Silverstone and Spa-Francochamps. However, after that, Russell and Hamilton struggled to fight at the front. In Las Vegas, it appears that the Brackley-based team had significantly improved the car, resulting in pole position for Russell. Before qualifying, the expectation was that Ferrari or McLaren would have the best chance at pole position, but Russell squashed those expectations.

"I'm all set, I'm looking forward to it!", Russell said during the drivers' parade. "It's been a long time since we were on pole. In Brazil, we did compete for victory for the first part of the race. But it's been a while since we got consistently good results. I feel like being in this position again," the Englishman added.

The stakes are high in Las Vegas during the upcoming race. Russell is going for the win, Verstappen can become world champion and Ferrari wants to catch up with McLaren in the battle for the constructors' championship.

This article was written in collaboration with Jereon Immink.

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