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Russell hails ‘exceptional’ 2023 F1 qualifying turnaround
Since the summer break, Russell has been consistently performing well in qualifying, achieving top three finishes in three out of the five rounds. This is a significant improvement compared to earlier in the year, where he had only achieved this feat once. Russell managed to secure the second fastest time in Q3 after Lando Norris had his time deleted, promoting him to second place on the grid. Russell was surprised by Mercedes’ competitiveness and although McLaren is still ahead, Russell sees Ferrari as his main competition for the rest of the season. Despite starting behind Russell on the grid, Russell predicts that Norris will be Mercedes’ biggest threat in Sunday’s race. Russell believes that Mercedes has the race pace to challenge McLaren and that both drivers have the potential to fight for a podium finish. However, there are still many unknown factors such as tire degradation and track conditions that could affect the outcome of the race. Russell acknowledges the exceptional performance of Max Verstappen, who is likely to become champion this year, and expects to see him pulling ahead after the first turn on Sunday.
Source: Motorsport Week
