Russell reflects on ‘real surprise’ pole in Las Vegas

George Russell put it all on the line in qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix to convert Mercedes’ electric practice pace into a pole position that was unexpected coming into the weekend.

While it was Russell’s out-going Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton who swept Thursday’s free practice sessions at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, Russell hit back on Friday, heading FP3 before converting that pace into his fourth career pole – overcoming a brush with the Turn 5 wall on his first lap in Q3, before setting two laps good enough for pole, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and shock P3 finisher, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

Asked if pole was expected coming into the weekend, Russell replied: “Honestly, absolutely not. It feels incredible to be back on pole.

“We’ve been so quick all weekend and I just knew coming into that last Q3 lap… that’s going to be the one that counts. It doesn’t matter what’s happened before then.

Qualifying Highlights: 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix

“I had a bit of a moment on my first run and we had to change the front wing, so there was a moment when I thought we weren’t going to make the flag. I’m just so happy, and we’ve got to do some deep diving to understand why we’ve been so quick so far this weekend, because it was a real surprise!”

Pushed on where his Q3 confidence had come from, Russell said: “Ultimately you’ve got to put it on the table sometimes. I felt confident in myself – I knew if I did a clean lap, it would be enough to secure a front row, so to get pole position is incredible. Ultimately, we’ve had a few good qualifyings recently – we need to convert that into a win now.”

Russell’s Team Principal Toto Wolff, meanwhile, praised his driver’s effort when speaking on F1 TV after the session, saying: “The weekend has gone so far very good. The car is quick, and we’ve delivered in all of those sessions.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 22: Pole position qualifier George Russell of Great Britain and — Russell celebrates in parc ferme after securing pole position

“Last year, we weren’t so competitive. I think we qualified third, but in the race we went a bit backwards. So we knew the [cold] temperatures would suit us, but the track layout, not so much. And then everything worked together.

“Turn 3, which is a high-speed corner, we were much quicker than everybody else, so overall good indications… [George has] delivered all weekend.”

Hamilton, meanwhile, is set to start P10, with the seven-time champion having made a mistake on both of his Q3 laps.