That Saturday morning Sprint around the streets of Marina Bay started with a brilliant move and ended in disaster. George Russell managed to snatch the lead away from polesitter Max Verstappen right at the start, after a downpour delayed the lights out. But that momentum vanished instantly when the Mercedes touched the kerb exiting the final corner at the end of the opening lap. A spin and a heavy impact with the pit wall left the machine battered, forcing the team into a frantic race against the clock to patch it up before Grand Prix Qualifying.
Thankfully, the crew got the car ready for the dry qualifying session, yet the speed that defined Friday simply wasn't there anymore. Russell could only manage the sixth fastest time, and to make matters worse, an engine-related penalty meant he was already destined to start the Grand Prix from the back of the grid.
I hope I can get into the points, P7, P6 depending on if Hadjar has a penalty or not, would be an interesting race.
"It was mainly just making sure the car was feeling as it did yesterday after the crash this morning," Russell explained.
"But it didn't quite feel the same in all honesty. I had great pace yesterday, we were in the top three on almost every lap that I completed and, today, I wasn't even in the top five at any point throughout the session. I need to try and understand why that was."
Looking ahead to Sunday, the Briton was pessimistic about his prospects of charging through the field given the unforgiving nature of the track. The circumstances stand in stark contrast to team mate Kimi Antonelli's famous victory from P19 at the Italian Grand Prix, or his recovery from P16 to P10 in Baku with roughly 15 laps remaining, even though both drivers faced similar engine changes.
"It's going to be challenging for sure," he admitted, noting that same driver, similar track, and two very different circumstances dictate the weekend. Still, he hopes to salvage something from the back: "I hope I can get into the points, P7, P6 depending on if Hadjar has a penalty or not, would be an interesting race."
