George Russell hopes “to sneak through” Max Verstappen & Lando Norris in Austrian GP

George Russell devised a plan to get the better of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the Austrian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver revealed that he would hope to find a gap and sneak through Verstappen and Norris when the lights go out at Spielberg on Sunday.

Formula 1 is in Austria for the 11th race of the season, and it is the third Sprint race weekend of 2024. Verstappen continued his pole supremacy at Red Bull Ring as he was the fastest man during qualifying for back-to-back four years.

Norris qualified in P2, with Russell in P3. Although Piastri clocked an impressive time to come at P3, track limits sent him back at P7. Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton rounded off the top five.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified in P6 after losing control of his SF-24. Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten starting line-up. Russell was over half a second slower than Verstappen and had an inferior race pace compared to Red Bull and McLaren. So, the Brit would want to bank on his plans.

Speaking about that, George Russell said in the post-qualifying interview:

"These two [Verstappen and Norris] were pretty dicey in the Sprint race so I think I'll sit back, watch them do their thing, and hopefully sneak through on the inside."

"But, realistically, they have got the pace on us. Our race is probably going to be behind us unfortunately and it's important we don't compromise our race too much battling with these guys," he added.

Max Verstappen and the McLaren duo have been the strongest drivers this weekend. Earlier on Saturday, the Dutchman claimed the Sprint win. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris came home in P2 and P3, respectively.

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George Russell expects to fight with Ferraris on Sunday

George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W15 leads Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari SF-24 during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on June 29, 2024 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Max Verstappen's Red Bull and the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were statistically faster this weekend. They claimed the top three in Sprint qualifying and took home the top three in the Sprint race, leaving Mercedes and Ferrari with meager points.

The race qualifying on Saturday was no different, as Verstappen and Norris remained on top. Russell, with an inferior W-15 [in terms of race pace], understood the importance of pinpointing their perfect opposition, Ferrari.

"We've got a real fight on our hands with those around us, in particular Ferrari," Russell told the media. " We look to still be slightly behind the McLarens and Verstappen, but things are moving in the right direction for us."

George Russell and Mercedes are hopeful after making a handful of adjustments following the sprint, particularly the wing level to reduce the tire degradation on Sunday. With less degradation, one can expect the W-15 to have a better race pace in the long run.