© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Here is the transcript of the post 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix Qualifying parc fermé interviews and press conference with George Russell.
TRACK INTERVIEWS
(Conducted by David Coulthard )
Q: George, second on the grid for the Grand Prix tomorrow. I think a little bit like Charles, if that was offered to you before – and I know you always want to be number one, you guys – but you would have probably taken that?
George RUSSELL: Yeah, 100%. I think if anybody said we’d be within half a second of the McLarens, we would have taken it, because we would have thought that would have been sort of P3 on the grid. So to be second on the grid is a bonus. Congrats to Oscar, great lap and excited for tomorrow.
Q: Well, you mentioned that gap—much closer than half a second. And you have the data available to you as the session unfolds. So where have the strides been made and where is that very small gap that you need to make up?
GR: I’ve got to be honest. I think the strides were being made with the night time coming in and the track temperature getting a little bit cooler. We saw it this morning in Practice 3—when it was roasting hot, the McLarens were down the road, and now as this session unfolded, we just seemed to get quicker and quicker. So yeah, lining up P2 is a great chance tomorrow but I think being realistic, it will be a challenge to fight with Oscar.
Q: OK, well, well done in the second place anyway for tomorrow.
GR: Thank you. Cheers, guys.
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PRESS CONFERENCE
Q: Thank you, Oscar. George, let’s come to you. Another great qualifying from you. You got really close to Oscar. Was that a very clean lap at the end of Q3?
GR: Yeah, it was a really strong Q3. To be honest, I wasn’t really feeling it throughout qualifying and didn’t have the confidence in myself, which was quite a surprise. I don’t know why that was. Q1 and Q2 were a real challenge. But in Q3 I just got back into my normal rhythm and put in some strong laps. Really surprised to be a tenth and a half off pole and ahead of one of the McLarens and also Charles up there as well. We were talking before — I think we were both shocked to be this close. So yeah, definitely a strong one.
Q: What changed in Q3? You say you got back into your normal rhythm, but did you change something on the car?
GR: No, no, it was just all in myself, to be honest. Q1 and Q2, usually you’re building up to Q3, but I hadn’t been feeling comfortable with the car today. And like Oscar said, I was doing donuts this morning, which is not really the best prep ahead of a qualifying session. But in Q3, I just sort of sent it and had a bit more confidence in myself and the lap came together really nicely. So yeah, really strong, really clean lap and a great place to be.
Q: George, you qualified fifth last weekend in Japan. Did you approach this session differently from a tyre warm-up point of view?
GR: I mean, this weekend’s totally different, to be honest. I was very disappointed in Japan with P5. I felt that we had the potential to qualify much higher up the order. But this weekend I wasn’t expecting to be on the front row. I thought P3 was going to be by far the maximum we could have achieved today. Realistically, anywhere from P3 to P6, maybe even P7. So to be on the front row is a real surprise. I don’t expect it to be a straightforward race tomorrow. I think Oscar is going to be mighty fast. They seem to be a long way ahead of the field when it comes to tyre overheating and the track being too hot for the tyres, which is what we’re going to experience tomorrow. So let’s see how it pans out.
Q: Well, George, we’ve had you and Oscar on the front row already this season. What have you got to do to beat him tomorrow? Is it all about tyre wear, or do you see the run to Turn 1 as your main opportunity?
GR: I think unlike the first three races of the season, this isn’t going to be necessarily a qualifying race. I think this is going to be the race which is most biased to the lap times you do in the race. Obviously I hope to make a good start. I’ve been on the front row here before and got into the lead at Turn 1, so hopefully I can repeat that. But I think they’re so far ahead of everybody. They can pit early, pit late — they’ll probably potentially overtake us on track. But as I said, today we’re on the front row and nobody expected anyone but Lando and Oscar to be on the front row. So maybe another surprise tomorrow.
Source: FIA.com
