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George Russell and Max Verstappen after qualifying for the Singapore GP - Photo: Race Pictures

Russell ‘knows his limits,’ but Verstappen warns: ‘Walls can move!’

08:55, 05 Oct

byKada Sarkozi

George Russell 'knows his limits better' two years after his crash at the Singapore Grand Prix, the Brit explained after qualifying.

"The walls, they actually move around the track. I don’t know if you guys noticed but it’s quite tricky in some places!"

- Max Verstappen said jokingly during Saturday's press conference

Russell and Verstappen will start from the front row of the grid at the Singapore Grand Prix this Sunday.

The British driver was chasing Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris for the victory two years ago at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, but crashed out on the final lap.

Russell with the pole position award in Singapore - Photo: Race Pictures

"Yeah. Thanks for reminding me!" he began answering a question about whether this pole position is vindication for what happened in 2023.

Verstappen was quick to jump in as well. "The walls, they actually move around the track," the defending world champion laughed.

"I don’t know if you guys noticed but it’s quite tricky in some places!"

Russell then continued on a more serious note. "I'm a very different driver today than I was a couple of years ago."

Russell had already suffered a crash this weekend during FP2 at the final chicane. He referred to the incident as a 'weird' one on Friday.

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"Yesterday was my first crash in over a year. But this season, I'm sort of more within myself. I know the limits better.

"But the fact is, on a street circuit, you’ve only got to have a 1% lapse of concentration. My mistake two years ago, it wasn’t a big mistake.

"It was a mistake of five centimetres, but the consequence was massive. And that's the thing on a street circuit. You can't afford one single corner not to be 100% focused. But that’s the greatness of it too," he concluded.

Should Mercedes sign Russell to a long-term contract?

The Briton is yet to put pen to paper on a new contract with Mercedes.. Why should Toto Wolff offer the Briton a long-term deal? Read our column here!