George Russell explains Spanish GP qualifying struggle after Mercedes set-up changes
George Russell has attributed his disappointing qualifying performance at Formula 1âs Spanish Grand Prix to a combination of tyre limitations, a difficult circuit and Mercedesâ changing set-up direction. The Briton will start from sixth at Madridâs new street circuit, while team-mate and title rival Kimi Antonelli qualified second.
Russell had looked strongest at the beginning of the session, setting the pace in Q1. However, he could not match the improvement of his rivals in the later segments and finished approximately three tenths behind Antonelli in both Q2 and Q3. The result came after Lando Norris claimed the inaugural Madring pole by just 0.011 seconds.
Wall contact was not the decisive factor
Russell brushed the wall with his front-left tyre during Q1, raising the possibility that the incident had compromised his Mercedes in a manner similar to the damage that ended Alex Albonâs FP3 running. Russell rejected that explanation, pointing to the pace of his next lap.
âI don't think so, because my following lap in Q1 we were quicker,â he told Sky Sports F1.
Speaking to written media, Russell said he had been concerned initially but felt the car remained competitive. The decisive error came on his final Q2-style push, when he was around three tenths up before trying to force the issue through Turn 11.
âThe tyres couldnât take it, and then [I] lost all the lap time thereafter. So that was a bit annoying,â Russell explained.
He added that the Madring demanded restraint before the final fraction of performance could be extracted. âYou almost need to drive a little bit below the limit, then extract that last little bit, and that cost me today.â
Mercedes also struggled with consistency
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Russell faced rear-axle overheating during qualifying. He also revealed that the driver removed front wing before the session and then restored it during qualifying, making the carâs behaviour less predictable on a circuit where confidence builds through repeated laps close to the walls.
Russell is already 66 points behind Antonelli in the driversâ standings, increasing the importance of Sundayâs race. He believes tyre degradation will determine whether the event becomes a procession or a chaotic contest.
âTyre deg is going to define it one way or another,â he said.
Simone Scanu
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.