Russell lets Mercedes advantage slip in 'tight' Ferrari battle

George Russell believes Mercedes will have an advantage over Ferrari in the battle for second in the Formula 1 Constructors' Championship.

The team heads into the final round of the season separated by four points, with the Silver Arrows on 392 compared to Ferrari's 388 points.

Although Ferrari has the advantage of having won a race this year with Carlos Sainz at Singapore, the only non-Red Bull win so far, the team has suffered from bad luck in the races.

Sainz failed to start in Mexico and at the Brazilian GP Charles Leclerc crashed on the formation lap due to a problem with his car.

Russell expects it will be close at the end, having taken a podium and challenged for the win with Charles Leclerc in Las Vegas.

"It's going to be a close fight with Ferrari," Russell told media, including RacingNews365.

"They're obviously coming off the back of a strong race, but definitely I prefer to be in the position we are than in their shoes.

"We just need to go out there, focus on ourselves, try and be as fast as possible. If we do so, we'll finish ahead."

Russell: We've got an open mind

Mercedes had good races in Mexico and the United States, however Brazil was a reality check for the team.

Las Vegas was also another tricky outing, after both Russell and Hamilton were caught out by the Safety Cars and on-track collision.

Ferrari finished second and fourth at Abu Dhabi last year, but Russell anticipates it to be a better outing for Mercedes and believes they have the edge in one key area over the Scuderia.

"They were definitely pretty competitive here last year, but we've been surprised a lot this season of which teams are faster at races and vice versa," he added.

"We're going in with an open mind. In qualifying I think they [Ferrari] have the upper hand slightly as we tended to do so this season, but come Sunday I think it will be a different story and we'll have a good race."