Russell puzzled by Mercedes pace after qualifying seventh

George Russell said he could not explain Mercedes’ lack of qualifying pace at Sepang after finishing seventh for the Malaysian Grand Prix, four places behind teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The result came a week after Russell won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku and as Mercedes introduced a substantial upgrade to its W17. Russell said the qualifying session was strange and that Mercedes had not made progress over the weekend. He said the team had been off the pace of Red Bull from Friday, while other competitors had improved. The cause of the deficit was not clear from his account, and he did not identify whether it stemmed from the upgrade, car setup or other factors. Antonelli qualified ahead despite being compromised in Q3, according to the qualifying account. Russell had one more set of new soft tyres available in that session. The seventh-place start was a disappointment for Russell, who had arrived in Malaysia encouraged by his Baku performance and optimistic that the new package might suit his driving preferences. The Mercedes changes were the team’s first major upgrade package since the Canadian Grand Prix in May.