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During his debut qualifying with Mercedes as a substitute for Lewis Hamilton, Russell managed to qualify second, just 0.026 seconds from pole position.
In this round, Russell came in for the first time in the third season of the playoffs, with 11th being his best previous result at this year’s Styrian Grand Prix.
The Briton said the weekend was “very tough” as he had to adjust to the “W11”, admitting that he felt “strange” during his first outings on board.
“To be honest, his driving style is very different. I tried to forget what I learned from Williams to learn how to drive this fast car,” Russell said.
He added: “I tried a lot of things during the third free trials, but they didn’t go well, so I would have been happy just to get to the third section after the last testing session.”
“No, I’m very happy. Everything went well on the last lap. I am resentful that the first pole had slipped out of my hands by a slight margin, but if someone had told me last week that I would qualify second during this great award, I wouldn’t believe it. “
It was Russell’s first loss in qualifying by his teammate during his Formula One career, who consistently outperformed his former teammates Robert Kuptsa and Nicholas Latifi during qualifying tests.
However, Russell expressed his joy at the difference separating Bottas, whose impressive performance this year came against record holder Hamilton.
“Valtteri put a lot of pressure on Lewis during qualifiers over the years,” he said. “I think, given the statistics, they are only a tenth of a second away.”
“We all know how good Lewis is, being right behind Valteri after arriving at the last minute and being ready for just two days makes me feel happy, so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”
Russell is also aware of the challenges that lie ahead in Sunday’s race, having never started at the top of the standings nor has he contested victories since their Formula 2 competition in 2018.
“There won’t be any cars in front of me tomorrow, which is something I haven’t experienced in a long time,” Russell said.
He added: “It will be very difficult. I always feel more comfortable during the playoffs as you can push as hard as you can.”
He concluded: “Tomorrow, you need more control and precision, and this is something I have not experienced before. I will do my best and see what happens.”
