F1 News: George Russell On Frustrating Mexico GP Qualifying Session - "Like A Yo-Yo"

Cold tire struggles were real in Mexico.

Mercedes driver George Russell was left frustrated after an inconsistent qualifying session on Saturday, mainly due to incorrect tire choices that saw his pace go up and then down again "like a yo-yo." 

The rapid rise and drop in pace prompted the British driver to make the "yo-yo" remark because if you looked at his and Lewis Hamilton's time in Q2, it hinted that Mercedes would be a major contender for the pole position. However, in Q3 the drop in pace was such that Russell managed to secure P8 while Hamilton secured P6.

Looking back at the Qualifying run, Russell blamed a poor tire preparation by Mercedes that caused a drastic drop in pace in Q3. Speaking to the media, he said:

“We tried something slightly different with the tyres to get a bit more performance and just under hit it, the tyres were too cold and weren’t working. 

"It’s really frustrating this weekend because it’s been so up and down like a yo-yo. At one point we were the quickest in FP3, Q2 we were first and third and then in Q1, Q3 we were nowhere. I think that goes for most drivers on the grid.

"I think there were very few drivers, probably Danny [Ricciardo], who was the most consistent driver throughout that session whereas everyone was up and down.

"Unfortunately we were down when it mattered.” 

Stating further, Russell explained how a simple tire change could cause such a drastic change in performance, which explains the importance of choosing the perfect tires based on the track conditions. He concluded:

“It’s not really down to the car because if you take qualifying as an example, the car doesn't change at all, the only thing that changes is how the tyre interacts with the temperature, the out lap, a bit of traffic on your out lap. 

"It just transforms it. It’s really frustrating when it’s like that.

"At the end of the day we got it wrong, others got it right so we can’t be throwing our toys out of the pram but it’s a real shame as we had high expectations for this weekend.”

Ferrari Press Image