Russell had been in contention for a fifth pole position of the season after setting the fastest time in Q1 and showing competitive pace during the final qualifying session.
However, Russell’s tyres overheated towards the end of the decisive Q3 lap, costing about three-tenths of a second and ending the challenge for pole. “I was in the mix to fight for pole and, on that last lap of Q3, I just really pushed the limit,” Russell said.
“I was about three-tenths up and then lost it all towards the end of the lap with the tyres overheating.”
Lando Norris secured pole position ahead of Kimi Antonelli, while Russell recorded the lowest qualifying position since the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“That was quite a shame,” Russell said. “It was really close between everyone out there and here we are.”
Russell appeared comfortable with the new circuit during opening practice, setting the fastest time before falling to fifth in the second session and sixth in final practice.
Performance improved at the beginning of qualifying despite Russell brushing a wall during the first attempt in Q1.
Russell said the car had become more difficult to manage as track conditions improved and lap times fell. “I jumped in the car and felt very comfortable here, and confident,” Russell said.
“As the track has got faster, I’ve been struggling to get the most out of the tyres.”
Russell said excessive sliding prevented the car from carrying more speed through corners and contributed to rising tyre temperatures. “I’ve just been sliding rather than going round the corners faster, and I need to understand why that is,” Russell said.
Mercedes will now examine the tyre problem before Sunday’s race, with Russell warning that continued overheating could limit prospects of recovering from sixth on the starting grid.
Russell entered the Spanish Grand Prix weekend trailing Antonelli by 66 points in the Drivers’ Championship.
Russell previously acknowledged that Antonelli had produced the stronger performance over the season and deserved the championship advantage.
–F1/ChannelAfrica–
