George Russell left ‘kicking myself a bit’ after coming agonisingly close in battle for Jeddah pole

George Russell conceded he is “kicking myself a bit” after just falling short of pole position by 0.113s at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, eventually having to settle for P3 on the grid as Max Verstappen triumphed with Oscar Piastri second.

The Mercedes driver was approaching the end of his first timed effort in Q3 when McLaren's Lando Norris collided with the wall at Turn 5 and brought out the red flags, pausing the session to allow for the recovery of the stricken MCL39.

At the time, only Piastri had registered an effort on the board, but with eight-and-a-half minutes remaining on the clock, there was minimal time left to attempt two runs in Jeddah – the first of which would be on the slightly worn rubber of Russell's aborted effort.

While Max Verstappen pressed ahead with a two-run programme, Russell and Mercedes opted for a single effort, leaving the Briton with some regrets after qualifying third.

Russell left ‘kicking myself a bit’ after taking P3 on the grid in Jeddah

“I am happy with a P3," said Russell afterwards. "I would have liked a bit more and I felt there was a bit more on the table.

“Because it was my one and only lap, we had no banker on the board, I went quite conservative with my tyres, so my tyres were probably a bit too hot.

“I was just worried about Turn 1. If I made any mistake at Turn 1, that’s game over and I could be down in P10. Sector one was great, sector two was great, and sector three I just lost a tenth and a half on myself and the gap was a tenth.

“I’m kicking myself a bit but it’s a long race and anything can happen.”

Russell has finished on the podium at three of the first four races this season, ensuring he has been there to sweep up any unexpected opportunities that may come his way.

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - APRIL 19: George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG — Russell will start from his equal best position in Saudi Arabia after qualifying third

Speaking of his opportunities in the Grand Prix, he said: “I think it depends on Turn 1, to be honest. Realistically, if we stay in the order we qualified, I think we’ve got a shot at being in the mix. We can try to do something different with the strategy maybe, do an undercut or an overcut.

“If Oscar gets into the lead, I think we’re all quite realistic that he’ll go off into the distance.

“Most likely, Lando will start on the hard tyres [from 10th], so he will quite likely be in the lead at one point in the race and who knows what could happen there. If there’s a timely Safety Car, that could really benefit him as well.”