George Russell has explained why he finished P9 in Bahrain qualifying

Mercedes driver George Russell has revealed that pushing too hard on his outlap led to a lock-up in turn one for his final qualifying run, and that is why he will start from P9 for tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

The new Formula 1 season is here and qualifying for tomorrow’s race has underlined a shake-up in the running order with Ferrari and Red Bull currently the pick of the bunch.

Indeed, Mercedes look the third-fastest team at best with Lewis Hamilton in fifth and Russell down in ninth for tomorrow’s race.

And, speaking to Sky after qualifying, Russell explained that pushing too hard on his outlap before his final run ruined the end of his session, with the time he had already set only good enough for ninth place:

“I just tried something different where I really pushed on my outlap and I got to turn one and just had no grip. I went one second slower than I did in Q2 when I was expecting to go a few tenths faster.

“I’m glad I tried something. We know we’re not where we want to be. P9 is much lower than where the car is but we’re doing everything we can to try and get back to the front and fight the Red Bulls and Ferraris.”

Disappointment for Russell, then, but he knows that he has a car that should be quick enough to at least get him up the field a little bit tomorrow, though the top four could be out of reach.

That is the position that Mercedes are in at the moment, though, and they will be working ferociously to try and make ground on the top two in the coming races.