Russell surprised by 'amazing' Mercedes car after taking pole in Australia

MELBOURNE, March 7 : Formula One's sweeping technical changes proved divisive among drivers, but there were few complaints from George Russell after he took pole position ahead of Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli at the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday.

Russell's pole lap was nearly eight-tenths of a second quicker than third-fastest Isack Hadjar's Red Bull, underlining Mercedes' promising form during winter testing.

While Red Bull's four-times world champion Max Verstappen crashed out and McLaren's defending champion Lando Norris fretted about his car after posting the sixth-quickest lap, Russell was pleasantly surprised by his car's performance.

"I think we’ve got a really great engine beneath us," the Briton said after taking Mercedes' first pole in Melbourne since Lewis Hamilton in 2019.

"However, I think we’ve also got a really amazing car beneath us, and I think that probably hasn’t been highlighted enough in the press these past few weeks.

"I think the car, from the off, Kimi and I both said it felt great to drive. We're enjoying the smaller cars, the lighter cars."

Russell said the new way of racing was still a challenge, with the car behaving more like a go-kart compared to last year's "bouncing bus".

"The cars are more agile and you’re sort of sliding them around a bit more," he said.

"It’s easier to lock up and run wide, lose the rear.

"So I think there are lots of mixed views on the new regulations as a whole, but I do think the car regulations for everyone are definitely a step forward compared to what we’ve had for the past, what, eight years now."

Antonelli faces a nervous wait for his position to be confirmed, with stewards investigating Mercedes for releasing his car in an unsafe condition.

The 19-year-old