George Russell has said he hopes to make use of Mercedes’ strategic advantage in Singapore to beat Ferrari to victory at the Marina Bay Circuit. Russell will start the race from second on the grid, behind Carlos Sainz who took pole position for Ferrari by just 0.072s. However, Mercedes will have an advantage compared to its rivals as it managed to save an extra set of Medium tyres for the race. Its prospect of a victory has been boosted by Red Bull's meltdown in Singapore - with both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez falling in Q2. "It was definitely a challenging session, when you’re sat in that car it’s like being sat in the sauna just sweating it out," Russell said. "You got to keep your composure, keep your cool. But I'm really really happy with this weekend as a whole. "I felt really confident in the car, the team did a great job with the strategy, we were on an offset strategy compared to everyone else. "We’ve got an extra set of Medium tyres for the race which nobody around us has. So to get into Q3, be on the front row with a strategic advantage is an exciting place to be."
Tyre degradation
Russell also highlighted that managing the tyres during the race will be a challenge for the drivers. "The track is different this year, the tyre degradation on Friday looked pretty bad," he said, referring to the four corners that have been eliminated from the circuit this year. "So I think it’s going to be very close between a one and a two-stop. "With our Mediums we can put Ferrari in a difficult position and try and force them into an error and get the upper hand - so that's what we're looking for."
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