How a Q3 headwind inspired Russell's surprise pole at F1's British GP

George Russell has revealed how a headwind in Q3 pushed him from fear of early elimination to pole position at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix.

Russell was languishing in the drop zone on stage two with three minutes to go when he put in a last-minute lap to secure his passage into Q3.

The Briton showed composure when needed to take provisional pole and improved his final run to claim a 0.171s lead over Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Russell, who qualified fastest in Canada last month, said his W15 “came alive” in the final segment to lead Mercedes’ first front-row lockout since 2022.

“Yeah, it’s definitely one of the best feelings I’ve ever had on a Saturday afternoon, the car was just crazy when those things happened in Q3,” he explained.

“It really came alive and it’s definitely one of the best feelings I’ve ever had driving around the circuit and you know, crossing the line seeing my name P1 and then you know, seeing myself on the front row, you know we couldn’t have even dreamed of that after the first three or four races, so yeah, it feels good.”

Russell explained how he took advantage of a change in wind direction allowing him to brake later between Brooklands and Copse to react to his team-mate’s improvement.

“From turn six to turn nine I gained a lot, turns six and seven were huge,” Russell explained.

“There’s a big headwind there, so I braked very, very late and was able to keep my speed through the corners.”

Russell conceded that cloudy conditions in the first two sessions had him concerned he might not even make it to Q3.

“But it was just on the rails of the car, I felt so confident and you know, in Q3 we really accelerated because Q1 and Q2 were very, very difficult,” he continued.

“I felt like I was being eliminated several times, the track was getting better with each lap.

“And probably getting into Q3 was the most pressure I felt in a qualifying session because all through Q1 and Q2 I was on the verge of getting knocked out every time and I didn’t have much confidence, but as soon as I got through Turns 1 and 2 and into Q3 I felt good and I was able to put in the laps.”

Russell will be aiming to win his home race tomorrow.

Russell’s second pole position in four rounds confirmed that Mercedes had overcome its past struggles to now be a consistent contender at the highest level.

The former Williams driver admitted the German marque was relishing the renewed momentum that has come from an aggressive development plan in recent months.

“It’s a great feeling since Canada when we bought those upgrades. You know we’ve both been consistently qualifying in the top three,” he added.

“But we really came into our own today, we were very fast in FP3. Yesterday we struggled in FP1, and a little bit in FP2.

“But these conditions really allowed the car to enter a perfect window and Monaco was really, really enjoyable and there are no guarantees for tomorrow, that’s for sure.

“But we feel like we’re riding that wave at the moment and I mean obviously for us as a team, I don’t know when was the last time we were on the front line.”

However, Russell is cautious about McLaren and Red Bull maintaining a lead in race conditions and expects those two to pose a threat to Mercedes’ chances of victory.

“I think realistically we know we’re probably a tenth or two behind Lando (Norris) and Max (Verstappen), but I think we’ve got a good fight on our hands,” he predicted.

“But the weather is going to play a huge role in that, you know it’s been raining and drying for a few days, there’s a little rain forecast tomorrow.

“We’re probably heading into another Montreal-style race where it’s going to be very changeable, so it’s going to be a long race.

“Like I said, we’re riding that wave at the moment, but that doesn’t mean anything because tomorrow is when the points will be scored, but obviously we’re in a great position to fight for the win.”