Mercedes driver George Russell anticipates a fiercely contested qualifying session for the Mexico City Grand Prix, predicting minimal differences between the drivers of the four top teams: McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari.
Yesterday, McLaren's drivers hinted at potentially excellent race pace, but they haven't secured a pole position in the last four rounds, a fact Russell aims to capitalize on.
"I think we'll be strong in qualifying; we have the pace over a single lap," explained Russell, who watched the first free practice session from the stands yesterday. "Lando Norris looked very quick on long runs, which isn't a surprise for McLaren."
"But qualifying here is incredibly important, so everyone is focused on that session. We'll see what we can do, but the margins between the top eight cars will be tiny."
"This is the third shortest track on the calendar, and traffic will be a significant issue, especially in the final sector where speeds are very low, and the corners are tight and slow."
"In the first two parts of qualifying, traffic will be a problem, but that applies to everyone. Slower cars will use two or three sets of new tires, the differences will be minimal, and it's going to be a tight fight."