Mercedes has not had a very good year. Russell’s win at Interlagos on Saturday is only the first for the team this year. For most of the season, the car has been uncompetitive and unable to challenge.
Even Russell himself admits that he was surprised to be able to pass Max Verstappen’s vehicle. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, came in third behind Carlos Sainz. Verstappen, on the other hand, finished fourth.
Russell believes that his win underlines how much progress Mercedes has had since the start of the season.
“It’s a pretty big milestone for the whole team when we look back at the very first sprint of the year,” Russell said.
“And here we are going to be lining up one-two tomorrow. It is really exciting. I’m so proud of the whole team to keep on delivering with the car.”
“This is the first time we have crossed the finishing line first in a race.”
“It is a little bit of a shame that this wasn’t the race tomorrow, but it really goes to show the work we’ve done and we are definitely going to be excited for tomorrow.”
“And having Lewis and me one-two on the gird is going to give us some options on the strategy and I think we are going to have to work together to do something different for one of us to get the win for the team.”
Hamilton, Russell’s teammate said:
“It will be tough to race George. We will hopefully have a bit of a battle but either way, we have to make sure we get a one-two and get the points for the team.”