F1 News: George Russell Full Of Praise For New Singapore GP Layout - "Should Create Better Racing"

George Russell has reflected on the first day of practice for the Singapore Grand Prix.

George Russell is "optimistic" about the Singapore Grand Prix and is full of praise for the revised layout after the first day of practice ahead of the legendary race.

The British driver has given hope to Mercedes fans as he reflected on the first two practice sessions, the first of which he put in the sixth-fastest time before going third-fastest in free practice two.

Commenting on the day in the Mercedes review, Russell explained:

"It was a very positive Friday for us overall. The car is feeling really good around the circuit. It definitely improved in the cooler temperatures of FP2 but equally, it still felt decent in the slightly unrepresentative conditions of FP1.

"The times were very tight between several cars. Ferrari looked quick, particularly on the single lap. The long run performance across a number of competitors was also strong but we can be optimistic heading into the weekend.

"We will do our usual work overnight and hopefully find some improvements heading into Saturday."

The Marina Bay Street Circuit has changed layout this year due to works going on, this meant that Turns 16-19 are now a long straight with a slight kink in it. Russell was full of praise for the new layout, claiming it should result in "better racing on Sunday". He continued:

"I am really enjoying the new track layout. It makes the final sector, and the lap as a whole, much more flowing. It definitely improves the experience behind-the-wheel and should help create better racing on Sunday. The new track surface in turns one to five is also an improvement.

Mercedes is under even more pressure to perform this weekend as if they don't score points and Red Bull finish with a 1-2, the latter will win the constructors' championship, or, if Mercedes just score 1 point but Red Bull have a 1-2 finish with the additional point for fastest lap, Red Bull will win as well.