George Russell reveals KEY Mercedes advantage for Fernando Alonso 'battle' in Canadian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Saudi Arabia — Photo: © LAT Images

Canadian Grand Prix

Russell reveals KEY Mercedes advantage for Alonso 'battle' during Canadian Grand Prix

The Mercedes driver has big plans for a strong result against Aston Martin

Lauren Sneath

Sunday 18 June 2023 13:27

George Russell has revealed that he thinks a dry race in Montreal will give Mercedes the edge in their battle against a resurgent Fernando Alonso in the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver and his team-mate Lewis Hamilton are hoping to come from P4 and P3 on the grid to fight for a podium, most likely against Alonso.

The Spaniard’s move to Aston Martin has paid off so far this season, seeing him claim four podiums.

Fernando Alonso has had a successful run since joining Aston Martin

But following a banner result at the Spanish Grand Prix, where Hamilton took second and Russell third, Mercedes are hoping to stay on track and continue to improve their results.

Russell thinks the team could pull ahead of Alonso thanks to their dry-weather pace.

Ahead of the race, he said of their pace: “I think there was a bit more there. We definitely performed better when the track was drier, then when the track got wetter in Q3, the car wasn’t quite as competitive.

“To be honest, when I crossed the line I was surprised to end up in that position.”

Russell: Fernando will be our challenger

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The Mercedes driver explained that the team is feeling positive about dry conditions for the race, and that the Aston Martin will be their main competition.

“It’s a good place to start for tomorrow," he said of their prospects. "The race pace is good, we’ve only Fernando in front of us, who I think will be our challenger. Max is obviously going to be probably in a league of his own out there tomorrow – let’s bring it on.”

Asked if his comments about Mercedes’ dry-weather pace bode well, he added: “100 per cent. We’re feeling positive about dry conditions tomorrow. I think the race pace yesterday in practice was pretty decent.

“There’s no reason why we can’t fight for a podium.”

Hamilton: It will be good to battle Alonso

Russell’s team-mate agreed that the team is on track for a strong result, saying he is looking forward to battling Alonso.

Hamilton said: “I definitely think a podium is on the cards tomorrow, yeah.

“I hope that we can compete with Alonso. It will be interesting to see how our long run [performance] is, but it would be good to have a battle with him.”