Russell takes confidence from beating Antonelli: 'It can't continuously be bad luck'

Responding to a question from GPblog about how important it was to beat his team-mate at such a significant moment, Russell admitted that securing pole position had given him a major confidence boost after a difficult run of races. The Brit pointed out that, despite claiming his fourth pole of the season in just eight races, he had not yet been able to convert one into a strong race result.

Russell went on to explain that extracting the maximum from the current car is largely a matter of understanding exactly what both the car and the tyres require in different conditions. He praised Antonelli's consistency throughout the season but made it clear he has complete confidence in his ability to beat his team-mate. The Brit believes he simply needs to rediscover the same feeling he experienced in qualifying in Austria, as well as during previous weekends in Barcelona, Canada, Melbourne and China, adding that he is convinced the race results will eventually follow and that his run of bad luck cannot continue for an entire season.

Russell has explained in greater detail the lap that secured him pole position after it came under scrutiny following Max Verstappen's crash, which triggered double yellow flags in the closing stages of qualifying. The Mercedes driver revealed that he made a substantial lift through the final sector after spotting the yellow flag, sacrificing a significant amount of time to ensure he complied with the regulations while still managing to set the fastest lap.

Russell admitted he was surprised that the lap was still quick enough for pole despite the time he lost. He also explained that visibility through that corner is relatively good, allowing him to assess the situation as he approached.

Initially, he believed Verstappen's car had continued because he could already see the green flag before turning into the corner and did not spot the Red Bull, which had come to rest well off the racing line. It was only after watching the replay that he realised Verstappen had hit the barriers, with Russell ultimately expressing his satisfaction that the stewards considered his actions under the yellow flags to be sufficient.