Russell and Hamilton in High Spirits After Free Practice

Russell and Hamilton propelled Mercedes F1 to an impressive start at Zandvoort, showcasing their prowess in the free practice sessions.

George Russell expressed his eagerness for the upcoming qualifying rounds as Mercedes F1 appears competitive with McLaren and Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix, while Lando Norris and Max Verstappen both sought performance enhancements following the second free practice session.

Mercedes F1 slightly edged out the competition in Zandvoort’s second practice session, with Russell leading and teammate Lewis Hamilton placing third, sandwiched by Oscar Piastri of McLaren.

With the top 5—including Norris and Verstappen—within less than three-tenths of a second, Russell stated that the W15 is performing well, and he is thrilled about the prospect of vying for pole position in qualifying.

“I’m getting back into the groove. It was really challenging on the track as it was extremely windy, probably the windiest I remember in two years. The car performed really well—I have upgrades that seem to work as expected. It looks like a close battle with McLaren, with Max, but everything could change tomorrow.”

“The first six races, the car wasn’t on pace, but the weather was stable and the race weekends were quite straightforward for everyone. Suddenly, as soon as the car was quick in Canada, at Silverstone, we were faced with all sorts of challenges, but that’s the same for everyone.”

“I’m truly excited to be back in form and I’m looking forward to qualifying, to feel that battle and the excitement that qualifying always brings. I’ve missed it!”

For Lewis Hamilton, there’s a big smile too for this successful return.

“It’s OK today, a good start to the weekend, so different from last year. The car is much more lively and fast, it changes things. We understand it well and manage to start on the right foot with the right settings from the first laps, which clearly makes our life easier.”

“For my best lap, I don’t think I made the most of the soft tyres, but I still have some work to do on the settings. But it’s good to start.”

“It’s hard to predict tomorrow at the moment but we’re in the mix. I have a good direction for qualifying and the race pace. I don’t know if we’ll be playing for the victory but we’re definitely in the top 5.”