Formula 1 News: Russell Credits Alonso’s Inspiration for Spanish Grand Prix Lead Grab
In a thrilling start to the Spanish Grand Prix, George Russell revealed that he drew inspiration from Fernando Alonso’s phenomenal 2011 start to seize the lead from fourth on the grid. The Mercedes driver, who lined up alongside teammate Lewis Hamilton and behind front-row duo Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, utilized a clever slingshot maneuver to overtake both drivers on the outside of the long run into Turn 1.
Russell’s daring move was reminiscent of Alonso’s lightning start in 2011, where the Spaniard slung his Ferrari past the front-row starting Red Bull duo of Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. The Mercedes driver admitted that Alonso’s rocket start was on his mind, convincing him that taking the lead from fourth on the grid was indeed possible.
“I was dreaming about it last night and what my plan of attack was going to be,” Russell explained. “I saw the weather forecast and the wind had shifted into a headwind into Turn 1, which I knew meant I could brake really late and deep into the corner. When I was racing karts, I always remembered watching Fernando in 2011 starting from P4 and getting into the lead. I knew it was possible.”
Formula 1 Today: Russell’s Calculated Risk Pays Off
Russell practiced his overtake on the laps to the grid, further convincing him that it was a risk worth taking. “I did four laps to the grid and practiced braking as late as possible on every single lap, so I knew where the limit was,” he explained. “I knew how strong the wind was and I knew what was possible with the car, so it was a calculated risk. It was satisfying to pull off.”
Although Russell wasn’t able to enjoy his lead for long, as Verstappen soon swooped past to take the lead, the Briton eventually settled for fourth behind Norris and Hamilton. By trying to cover off the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, Russell pitted earlier than desired, forcing him onto a final stint on hard tires while Hamilton was able to go onto the faster softs.
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“There were a few small things that went against us today. We had a slow pit stop which then put us on the back foot for the middle stint and under a bit of pressure,” Russell added. “Then I lost a lot of time fighting with Lando and then pitting onto the hard tire was pretty rubbish. We knew the hard was not going to be a great tire, but we wanted to split the risk between Lewis and me, because if we extended [the stint] there could potentially have been under threat from Charles.”
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Despite not making it to the podium, Russell remained optimistic, saying, “I felt a little bit disappointed not to be on the podium, but I was there last [to last] week and Lewis did a great job and as a team we are taking the positives from what has been a really promising couple of races.”
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