George Russell says his recent dip in form came from trying too hard to copy his team mate’s setup approach rather than trusting his own instincts with the Mercedes W17.
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After taking pole position for tomorrow’s race, Russell explained he has refocused on his own working methods and returned to basics when it comes to car setup.
“It’s car set-up, mentality, just going back to basics really,” Russell said. “These cars are so complicated, the tyres are complicated, the power units are complicated, and it’s challenging to get on top of things.”
Russell said his team mate Antonelli, who starts third on the grid for Sunday and has won the last five grands prix, had been performing at such a high level that Russell had started to emulate his setup choices.
“You’re trying to constantly improve and I think that doing some copy-pasting probably really put me on the back foot,” he explained. “This weekend I’ve just gone in my own direction and that’s what I’ve done in the past for the last few years, and really glad to see it paying off.”
He added that regaining his own setup approach had also restored his confidence with the car. “It just feels back to what I felt at the start of the year during winter testing in Barcelona here, Bahrain testing, Melbourne, China. I felt really comfortable in the car, really happy.
“Miami was the first weekend where everything felt pretty challenging, and that’s where I think, I can accept, and with my direct group of engineers we can accept, we probably made some wrong decisions in these last three races.
“More than anything, more than this pole position, I’m just glad to feel myself again, feel at one with the car again, as I have done for the last few years.”
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2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
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