George Russell warns Mercedes despite "one of the best feelings" with British GP pole

George Russell has described his first F1 pole position on home soil as “one of the best feelings I’ve ever had” - but issued Mercedes a warning ahead of race day.

Russell secured the third pole of his F1 career in qualifying at the British Grand Prix, taking top spot ahead of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.

While Mercedes’ pace in the wet looked impressive, in the dry, it was unclear whether they could mount a challenge against McLaren and Max Verstappen.

Verstappen picking up floor damage combined with Norris failing to improve on his final effort allowed Mercedes to secure their first front-row lockout since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Reflecting on qualifying, he said: “This is definitely one of the best feelings I've ever had on a Saturday afternoon and the car was just insane when we went out in Q3, it just really came alive.It was one of the best feelings I've had driving this circuit - crossing the line with my name in P1.

“And then with both of us on the front row, we couldn't have even dreamed of that after the first three or four races. In Q3, we really turned it up, because Q1 and Q2 were very, very challenging. I felt like I was about to get knocked out at various points. The track was improving every single lap.

“And probably going into Q3 was the most pressure I've ever felt in a qualifying session because the whole Q1 and Q2 runs, it felt like I was on the verge of getting knocked out every single occasion.

“I wasn't feeling that confident with myself, but as soon as I went through Turn 1 and Turn 2 in Q3 I felt good and managed to do the laps. From Turn 6 to Turn 9, I gained a lot; Turn 6 and 7 was mega, a big headwind through there so I braked really late and could just carry the speed through the corners. But it was just on rails, the car. I just felt so confident in it.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Russell has warned that Lando Norris and Verstappen - who start third and fourth - have a tenth or two advantage over Mercedes.

"I think realistically we know we've got a tenth or two behind Lando and Max, but I think we've got a good fight on our hands,” he added.

"The weather's going to play a huge part in that; it's been raining and drying up throughout the last couple of days. There's a bit of rain on the forecast tomorrow, we're probably on course for another Montreal-style race."