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Here is the transcript of the post 2024 Austrian Grand Prix Qualifying parc fermé interviews and press conference with George Russell.
TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by Jolyon Palmer)
Q: George Russell, back in the top three. Mercedes back in the top three for the third Saturday qualifying in a row. You’ve got to be happy with that.
George RUSSELL: Yeah, absolutely. The car’s feeling really great at the moment. Obviously, the team have worked so hard bringing these upgrades. And it feels like we’ve got a real fight on our hands, especially with Ferrari. I think we’re still a little bit behind McLaren and Max and Red Bull were flying today, but it’s definitely going in the right direction for us.
Q: It didn’t look like the easiest Sprint for you and the team. You were not far away from the Ferraris, but missing a little bit compared to the top two. You seemed more competitive in this session. Did you change much on the car?
GR: Yeah, we definitely changed a few things. We changed the wing level, which helped a little bit. I think that helped the tyre deg for tomorrow. So happy to be in P3, because I think we compromised qualifying a little bit to help the race tomorrow. But the fact is McLaren still have that edge on us. But as I said, three races in a row for us that we’re in the top three with Lewis and I, and that feels really great.
Q: What are the thoughts for tomorrow? Dreaming of the top step or elbows out to keep the podium?
GR: I mean, these two are pretty dicey in the Sprint race, so I think I’ll sit back, watch them do their thing and hopefully just sneak through on the inside! But realistically, they’ve got the pace on us. Our race is probably going to be behind us, unfortunately, and it’s important that we don’t compromise our race too much battling with these guys, but let’s see.
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PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: George, coming to you. Very well done as well. How pleased are you with your session as a whole?
GR: Yeah, it felt a good session, similar to Lando. I think the gap to Max was bigger than we expected. We made a few changes with the car, which I think will help us tomorrow. And then that last lap in Q3 was all a bit messy. I had to let quite a few people by on my out lap. And then during the lap, I could just see dust everywhere and gravel on the track. And that’s pretty frustrating as a driver when you go through a corner, you just see gravel everywhere. So there’s a bit more in it, but really pleased to end up P3, not too sure where Oscar got his lap deleted. And hopefully we can fight for the podium tomorrow.
Q: Well, what about that? Tell us about the long-run pace here?
GR: Yeah, I think Lando and Oscar seem a little bit quicker than us. Obviously Max is down the road at the moment. So I don’t know where Oscar ended up finishing, but I’m confident Lewis and I can probably beat the Ferraris tomorrow and hopefully hold up Oscar’s progress. Where did he qualify? He was seventh, OK. But yeah, it’s a long race, high degradation, anything can happen.
Q: So what about the start? Round the outside, sweeping into the lead at Turn 1, is that the plan?
GR: What do you reckon? No, I think it’s a bit more challenging here. I think these guys always get their elbows out. So maybe this time it’s sit back and watch it all take place. But no, I think last week I lost a lot of time battling with Lando and probably focused too much on the guys ahead of me. And ultimately that cost me the position to Lewis and almost with Charles as well. So as I said, I think the race is behind us tomorrow.
Source: FIA.com
