Russell thanks British support at Silverstone: "Gives you lap time"

George Russell achieved his best-ever Formula 1 qualifying result for Williams. The young British driver once again gave Toto Wolff and Mercedes food for thought in the contract negotiations for the second seat next to Lewis Hamilton in 2022. In front of his home fans, Russell reached Q3 and qualified in P8 for the sprint race. 

Home crowd

"That was my best qualifying result ever at Silverstone in front of the home crowd. Such a special feeling, every lap I could see them jumping up and cheering. I am sure it's the same for Lando. We've never experienced that. A year and a half without any fans. To come back, full capacity on a Friday is a good feeling," Russell told Sky Sports. 

"For sure, the crowd give you lap time. They give you an extra spring in your step. It helps, you get a sense of responsibility to perform for them. The added pressure we thrive off."

Sprint race

With an alternative format for the British Grand Prix weekend, qualifying results form the grid for Saturday's sprint race. Russell will need another strong performance to ensure he starts the Grand Prix high up on the grid. But with Williams out of any fight in the Championship, Russell has nothing to lose and promises to get his elbows out. 

"We've got to attack. We only get into this position by putting absolutely everything on the table. If I see an opportunity, I'm going for it. I've had more than 40 races in F1, every race it's maximum fuel load. Now it's one-third of fuel load," he added.