Russell explains the buzz of being ‘Mr Saturday’

Mercedes’ George Russell says he thrives under the pressure to deliver that perfect lap under qualifying conditions.

The British racer is preparing to take his place on the 2022 grid as a full-time Mercedes race driver for the first time, following three strong seasons with the Williams team.

And it was during that stint when he developed a reputation for delivering some stellar laps in qualifying, securing P2 on the grid in Belgium and P3 in Russia in 2021 undoubtedly being the crowning achievements.

Russell duly has picked up the nickname of ‘Mr Saturday’ in reference to his one-lap heroics, explaining the challenge of nailing that lap of perfection brings out the best in him.

“It’s the high-pressure stakes of qualifying – you go out there, you’ve got one lap to do the business, the pressure is on and the world is watching,” he told Crash.net.

“It just excites me and I thrive on that pressure to go out there and deliver. I think for a lot of drivers, it’s the most exciting part of the weekend. It’s when your car is at its fastest and when everything is on the line.

“It’s like a sprint, the race being more of a marathon, managing it to the end. You can’t sprint every lap of a race because you’d be burned out, you’d tire the engine and the brakes.

“But in qualifying you are not holding anything back, you are unleashing everything and that’s what I enjoy.”

Russell describes the feeling of extracting every drop of performance from an F1 car in qualifying as like being on a rollercoaster, the “fastest ride of your life”.

“That feeling when you’ve managed to accomplish something special over one lap is pure elation and the adrenalin is absolutely pumping because it’s all on the line for such a short period of time,” said the