George Russell says his Mercedes is "working better" this weekend after the team finished closer to rivals Ferrari and Red Bull in practice. Last time out at Spa Francorchamps the team were struggling a lot with tyre temperatures and drag on the long straights. The British driver says that the W13 is more suited to Zandvoort's shorter lap and that the team should be able to be more competitive in the long runs during the race. "The car is working better, there's no doubt about it. It's going to be close tomorrow. I think McLaren will be quick, even Aston Martin," Russell told media. "We still know qualifying is our weak point, I think the race will come towards us and I think our long run pace is looking strong.
Russell would be "shocked" if Mercedes repeated Hungary pole
Despite showing pace to challenge for pole with Hamilton just 0.072 off the best time set by Leclerc on the Soft tyre runs, Russell says he would be "shocked" if they produced another late pole like at the Hungaroring. He continued: "I think Hungary was a bit unique, I think our rivals didn't quite get it right on a day that we did a stellar job and everything just went towards us. "I'd be very shocked if we had a repeat of Hungary, but we're definitely closer than we've been in a long time."
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