Russell 'surprised' by storming Mercedes fightback

George Russell has conceded he has been left "surprised" by finishing on the podium in the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver struggled throughout qualifying and started only 12th on the grid with his performance in stark contrast to teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Russell slid into the gravel at Turn 5 on his reconnaissance laps to the grid adding to the concerns over struggles with balance within his upgraded W14.

But the Briton put in a stellar performance, scything through the midfield before keeping Red Bull's Sergio Perez at bay in the closing stages to hold on to third, confirming a double podium for the Silver Arrows.

"A little bit surprised for sure," said Russell.

"Kudos to the team for giving me a great car. That was a fun race for us, starting in P12 coming all the way to P3 - a sign of things to come hopefully for us and the team."

Better window for Mercedes

The weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya provided Mercedes with a first real look at how its radical upgrade package, introduced at Monaco, is performing in real life - a chance for correlation between track and design centre.

"It definitely feels better, but when you compare with the guys around we were just quicker and quicker," added Russell.

"We know we have put more downforce in the car, we know things are in a better window, so very pleased to be on the podium."