George Russell reveals Max Verstappen masterplan missed by Mercedes

George Russell believes Mercedes could have followed Max Verstappen's Q3 strategy which brought him pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Q3 was red-flagged following Lando Norris's crash, with only Oscar Piastri having a time on the board as the field was forced to abort their laps. 

Verstappen aborted his first before actually starting it, meaning he had effectively two new sets of tyres with which to complete the session - but only if a racing style pit-stop was completed and not the usual garage turn-around. 

This meant carrying more fuel than normal, but Verstappen stole pole by 0.010s from Oscar Piastri's McLaren, although Russell was third having taken provisional pole himself. 

Reflecting on the session, Russell felt the Verstappen strategy was something Mercedes could have followed.

"I have mixed feelings right now because I felt there was more on the table," Russell told media including RacingNews365. 

"There was a lot of pressure going into that last lap because Oscar had a lap on the board, and the run plan Max did with the two laps was a really good one, that we didn't really consider, and just having that lap on the board takes the pressure off.

"So when you go into Turn 1, you've got to really send it, brake at 75 metres and when you've got no lap on the board, you've got no bail out and are P10 if I make the smallest of mistakes, but P3 is much better than I thought."

When directly asked if Mercedes had actively discussed following Verstappen's strategy, Russell explained that the plan had, in part, been debated.

"It was, to be honest," he said. 

"It was more discussed to actually start on the new tyre and then put the used one on after, but I'm sure it was discussed on the pit-wall.

"I'm not privy to every single conversation because I am driving the car, and ultimately at that point, I put my trust in the team. 

"As a driver, knowing you've got that one lap, especially on a track like this, you've got to have full commitment, and in Turn 1, I just didn't have the confidence to have the tyres any cooler."