Russell admits Mercedes was sold Singapore dream

George Russell has claimed Mercedes' pace in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix made the team believe it could do better than the fourth-place finish he achieved.

The 26-year-old started and ended the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in that position, after benefitting from Lewis Hamilton's alternate tyre strategy, but losing out to the pace of Oscar Piastri's McLaren.

Friday proved a tough test for Russell, with the Briton explaining how his W15 was not as "well connected" around the streets of Singapore as previous Mercedes challengers.

However, after going second-fastest in FP3, the two-time grand prix winner locked out the second row of the grid with his team-mate in qualifying, something that gave the team falsely inflated expectations for the race.

"After a very difficult Friday, we would have likely taken P4 in the Grand Prix," Russell explained in a statement after missing his media duties. "Our pace in Qualifying, however, made us believe we could achieve more.

"Today was no doubt a difficult race for us, both challenging in terms of our pace but also physically."

Fourth was the 'very best we could achieve'

Despite his team-mate offering him no challenge, it was not a simple and straight-forward drive to fourth for Russell.

Charles Leclerc, who started in ninth, put the Briton under pressure in the closing stages, on an evening in which he felt the best his Mercedes was capable of what the result he secured.

"The McLarens were very impressive and in another league to us, whilst Max [Verstappen] had the legs on us," Russell added.

"We were able to hold off the Ferrari of Charles [Leclerc] in the closing stages, so it was very much an evening of damage limitation.

"Given the pace of the car, that was the very best we could have achieved."