The Brit's race was ruined when an unfortunately-timed red flag meant that Max Verstappen, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly all gained a free pit stop over he and second-placed Lando Norris, with the two Brits having already pitted, Russell evidently fuming at his bad luck over team radio.
It meant an extremely busy Sunday for the drivers and their teams, with the two most important sessions of the weekend running just hours apart.
Despite this challenge, Russell seemed to enjoy the revised schedule, even suggesting it should be something F1 looks into doing in the future.
The Brit qualified up in second in amongst a chaotic session, and would later take advantage of a poor start from Norris to move up to first.
"I loved it to be honest, reminded me of the karting days, waking up having breakfast in your race suit and just going out there and driving," Russell said in his post-qualifying interview.
Clearly in a lighthearted mood, the 26-year-old cheekily suggested: "Maybe the guys should have a bit of a think about the format moving forward, maybe this is the one you know, qualifying Sunday morning."
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