George Russell has detailed how he "confused" his Mercedes W15 during qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix sprint.
The British driver went second-fastest at the Lusail International Circuit and will line up for the one-third distance race alongside compatriot Lando Norris.
The result came as somewhat of a surprise, as he builds on his second grand prix victory of the season, which came in Las Vegas last time out.
Despite the strong performance, the 26-year-old revealed he caused his Mercedes power unit to enter recharge mode on his final run of the grid-setting session.
Whilst he did not know how much lap time it cost him, he nevertheless felt Norris remained a "smidge" too quick to beat to pole.
"It [the car] felt really strong all session," Russell told F1TV. "The car was really great and this circuit is really one of the best, when you get in the groove and that rhythm, it's so fast.
"I went flat through the high speed for the first time on my final lap in [S]Q3 and confused the engine a little bit.
"I don't know how much I lost, but I had a big recharge on the exit the corner, because I went through it flat.
"Way too technical for this interview, but that was a bit annoying when it's like: 'I just nailed it', and then I lost a load of the speed on the exit. But I think Lando [Norris] was just a smidge out of reach."
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As the F1 season winds down, Mercedes finds itself consigned to fourth place in the constructors' championship with little to fight for aside from individual results.
Starting sandwiched between the two McLarens and directly in front of Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, Russell plans to take advantage in the sprint.
Both teams are in the thick of a tight battle for the F1 constructors' championship. The Woking-based squad has not won that title since 1998, and the Italian team has not triumphed in the standings since 2008, meaning the stakes are high for those around the Mercedes driver.
"Definitely," Russell responded when asked if he can take the fight to Norris in the sprint.
"They're in a championship fight, we've got nothing to lose. We're going for the big result, so we'll try and make a good start.
"Of course, the sprint is just a sprint. We need to put our focus on qualifying as well, and yeah, so far, so good."
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