© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
George Russell says third-placed Lewis Hamilton “was obviously great at the beginning” of the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Race, so he is “sure it’s not going to be straightforward” at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli and George Russell will start the Chinese Grand Prix from the front row, closely followed by two Ferraris.
Ahead of the race, polesitter Antonelli was asked if any lessons learned in the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint Race, could help him on Sunday.
“Well, definitely graining is going to be a big factor,” the Italian said.
“It’s going to be a bit colder tomorrow, so it could be even worse for graining. So yeah, just need to stay on top of that, trying to manage that front left.
“First of all, have a good start because I didn’t have a good one so far, and yeah, then just try to set the pace.”
Asked if he is concerned about Ferrari’s pace in the opening laps, Antonelli said:
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“Well, they certainly look very strong, especially also on cold tyres. They look like they’ve got good pace, but of course also the start is a very strong point of theirs.
“So yeah, just going to try to have a clean start and then we’ll see from there,” he concluded.
George Russell was asked if he think the opening laps of the Chinese Grand Prix will be less hectic than they were at the Austalian Grand Prix and today’s sprint race.
“I hope so for us, to be honest,” Russell said.
“But it has been great opening few laps for the last two races. We know Ferrari are quick off the line and we’ve got them in P3 and P4, which is the first time of the season.
“And Lewis was obviously great at the beginning of the race this morning, so I am sure it’s not going to be straightforward,” the Briton concluded.
