Shovlin: 'Don't think George could have got any more out of it'

At Mercedes, they are reasonably satisfied with the result achieved in qualifying. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will start third and seventh, respectively, so there seem to be chances for a podium finish. Andrew Shovlin especially hopes Hamilton shows a bit more than in qualifying.

"It's been a difficult weekend to get the car in the right place and I don't think George could have got any more out of it with his laps in the final session. We've benefited from Max's issues and Charles' penalty to end up third on the grid, but George still had to get ahead of a number of key cars that were all pretty quick," Shovlin said in a press release.

While Russell eventually set the fourth time, it was teammate Lewis Hamilton who did not get beyond finishing eighth. Shovlin saw the seven-time world champion struggling with his W14. "Lewis had a tough time through the sessions, struggling with the balance and grip in the first sector. He had a very solid morning so it's a bit of a surprise but hopefully we'll see strong pace tomorrow."

Anticipating incidents

Over the past two seasons, several incidents took place during the Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. A good result on Sunday depends not only on a fast car, but also on a dose of luck. A VSC or safety car can come out very luckily, grabbing a lot of time on the competition in one fell swoop. The strategists therefore have an important job to do.

"How well you do is often a function of whether they fall at the right times. Only a few places separate our cars so it gives us an opportunity to split them on strategies so we can cover the bases", concluded Shovlin.