George Russell is quite satisfied with his first day of the 2023 Australian GP in Melbourne, and in particular with the progress made between EL1 and EL2, on a route closer to that of Jeddah than one might think.
George, what is the outcome of this day?
The EL2s were a bit frustrating for everyone with the weather surprisingly creeping in. But it was a satisfying session for us. We have taken a step forward from the first session, which is a good thing. Let’s see what the weather has in store for us tomorrow, because I don’t think…there was some rain in the area, but it came quite suddenly. And I know there will be a bit of rain tomorrow too. So I would love for things to be spiced up.
What are these advances?
Oh, we made a lot of changes to the settings during the break. We’ve made good progress lately, changing quite a few things and getting the car into a good window as the weekend progressed. So it’s very satisfying to sit in the driver’s seat, to know that the car is more pleasant and that as a team we have contributed to that. We have to see how that plays out tomorrow, but I wasn’t very happy with the car in the first free practice session and was quite happy in the second, so it’s not too bad.
How does this compare to Jeddah?
I think the circuit and the tarmac are similar. It’s something that I don’t know if the fans watching us are too aware of, but the difference in tarmac between the different events we participate in has a huge effect on the car and the feeling. In Saudi Arabia and Melbourne, the tarmac is similar. So you can really push the tires hard. And you see that you are able to do 1, 2, 3 laps with the soft tire, which is unique in a way I think. You know, in qualifying we are going to do a lot of laps. So it’s different from the norm. I think it’s exciting.
Lewis talks regarding a qualifying position around P5, do you think?
Yes, I would say that is a good assessment. I think if we go all out, the third line, probably between P5 and P8, that’s what we’re looking at for now. It’s obviously not where we want to be as a team. We know there is more to come in two or three races, but we just have to maximize our opportunities by trying to have a weekend similar to what we had in Jeddah, where we exceeded the potential of the car, and continuing to do our best.
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