Russell’s rise

MERCEDES driver George Russell said he spent the night before the Spanish Grand Prix ‘dreaming’ of the incredible start that saw him go from fourth on the grid to the lead by the first corner.

Russell lined up alongside his team mate Lewis Hamilton on the second row of the grid but impressively charged past Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and the pole-sitting McLaren of Lando Norris on the long run down to Turn 1.

While his lead lasted only a couple of laps, with Verstappen soon moving ahead, Russell took plenty of satisfaction from the double-overtake and made reference to one of Fernando Alonso’s previous bold getaways in Barcelona.

“I was channelling my inner Alonso from (2011)… That was such an iconic start,” he said.

“I knew the weather was saying it was going to be a big headwind into that corner and I knew I could brake really, really deep and caught the guys off-guard.”

Russell ultimately crossed the line in fourth place after a slow pit stop and a late-race battle with Hamilton, who managed to edge ahead and score his first podium of the season.

Nonetheless, Russell pointed to plenty of positives when asked if he felt the weekend was further proof that the Silver Arrows appear to be firmly back in the fight.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “It’s been a couple of races in a row now, we’re fighting for the front rows of the grid, fighting for podiums.

“It’s really exciting to see the progress we’ve made and I feel like we can really build from this now.”