George Russell predicts 'surprises' from 'unexpected' Abu Dhabi rivals

George Russell believes there could be some shock results in qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, based on the "unexpected" pace of some midfield teams at the Yas Marina Circuit.

The Mercedes driver pinpointed Haas and Stake, both of which showed surprisingly strong form during FP1 and FP2.

Nonetheless, the five-time grand prix winner anticipates he will be vying for position with his team-mate, Kimi Antonelli, the Red Bulls and the Ferrari drivers.

Having only been sixth-fastest in FP1 — and sandwiched between the Stakes — he improved to third-quickest in FP2, but Oliver Bearman was less than half a tenth slower for Haas in fourth.

"It was definitely feeling better this evening," Russell said after the second hour of running. "It always tends to feel a bit nicer when you're driving in the dark, and the track is a bit cooler.

"I think it's gonna be tight in qualifying, between probably ourselves, Red Bull and Ferrari.

"There were some other teams that were a bit unexpected, as well. Bearman was right up there, Hulkenberg as well. So we may have some surprises.

"Race pace wasn't great, in all honesty. So we need to review tonight how we can improve that and see on Sunday."

When it was put to him that it was not easy to get the tyres in the right operating window under the lights and ever-cooling conditions, the British driver agreed.

"Yeah, it's not easy," he replied, before underlining why a number of his peers made errors during FP2.

"When you've got that C5 tyre, there's a lot of grip, but when it's cool conditions, mistakes are easy to happen.

"But no, my lap was strong. I don't think there's much left of a tank, and we were only just P3, so we need to try and find a bit more pace overnight."