Russell’s optimism clashes with Hamilton’s doubts in São Paulo

Russell targets a “solid race” from second place in Brazil

03/11/2024

Russell’s confidence meets Hamilton’s bleak outlook for Brazil’s Grand Prix, with both drivers setting distinct expectations for Interlagos.

George Russell will start on the front row of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, following an impressive performance in the rain. The Mercedes F1 driver, who claimed his maiden victory in Brazil two years ago, is pleased to see the popularity of Formula 1 at Interlagos and appreciates the format of the day, with both qualifying and the race.

“I always enjoy being in Sao Paulo; I have great memories here. Yesterday, it was tough waiting around, seeing the fans stay on despite the rain. But at 6 a.m., when I arrived at the circuit, I saw everyone queued up and waiting—I’m happy to be starting second,” Russell said.

“I honestly like this; it reminds me of karting days. You get up, have breakfast in your suit, and then go out to drive. Maybe they should consider this format for the future; perhaps it’s the right one. We’ll try to have a strong race.”

Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, was eliminated in Q1 and will start 15th on the grid, possibly higher if other drivers can’t start following qualifying accidents. The seven-time world champion is not optimistic about his Sunday: “I’m not going to be negative. It’s just how it is.”

“I have no hope for the race; I’ll just do what I can. With the car I have at the moment, it’s the worst I’ve ever driven, so I probably won’t get very far with it. Maybe I’ll start from the pit lane—I don’t know, we’ll see.”

Russell’s optimism clashes with Hamilton’s doubts in São Paulo Russell’s optimism clashes with Hamilton’s doubts in São Paulo

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Full 2025 F1 testing results

Carlos Sainz
1
CARLOS
SAINZ
Leader
Lewis Hamilton
2
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+0.031s
Charles Leclerc
3
CHARLES
LECLERC
+0.083s
George Russell
4
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+0.197s
Max Verstappen
5
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.218s
Alex Albon
6
ALEX
ALBON
+0.302s
Kimi Antonelli
7
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+0.436s
Oscar Piastri
8
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+0.592s
Pierre Gasly
9
PIERRE
GASLY
+0.692s
Lance Stroll
10
LANCE
STROLL
+0.881s
Liam Lawson
11
LIAM
LAWSON
+0.904s
Jack Doohan
12
JACK
DOOHAN
+1.020s
Yuki Tsunoda
13
YUKI
TSUNODA
+1.149s
Isack Hadjar
14
ISACK
HADJAR
+1.327s
Fernando Alonso
15
FERNANDO
ALONSO
+1.352s
Esteban Ocon
16
ESTEBAN
OCON
+1.380s
Lando Norris
17
LANDO
NORRIS
+1.534s
Gabriel Bortoleto
18
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
+1.709s
Nico Hulkenberg
19
NICO
HULKENBERG
+2.109s
Oliver Bearman
20
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+3.013s

Testing Total Distance Covered by Team

1
Mercedes
458
2
Haas
457
3
Racing Bulls
454
4
Alpine
405
5
Williams
395
6
Ferrari
382
7
McLaren
381
8
Sauber
354
9
Aston Martin
306
10
Red Bull
304
Race Center
Australia Flag
Australian GP
13 Mar - 16 Mar
FP1
14 MAR 01:30
FP2
14 MAR 05:00
FP3
15 MAR 01:30
QU
15 MAR 05:00
RACE
16 MAR 04:00
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Australian Flag
Australian
Albert Park
16 Mar
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
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