W15 is "an absolute joy to drive", says pole-sitter George Russell
Having secured his second pole position of the season, Mercedes driver George Russell hailed his car which has been "an absolute joy to drive" around the challenging, high-speed Silverstone circuit.
In an incredibly exciting, close battle on the final run, George Russell secured pole position by 0.171 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in P2. Lando Norris in third ensured there were three Brits and three Mercedes-powered cars in the top three, with the top six within half a second of each other.
The now three-time F1 pole-sitter hailed his car, claiming that the W15 was a pleasure to drive around Silverstone despite the tough conditions.
"What a feeling! At the start of this year, we couldn’t have even dreamt of being on pole position at Silverstone. Having three Brits in the top-three is absolutely mega too.
"The crowd has been incredible, and they give us all so much energy. Having myself, Lewis, and Lando (Norris) at the front of the grid just shows that!
"The car at the moment feels so good. It came alive in Qualifying, and it was an absolute joy to drive around this amazing circuit. We are riding a wave at the moment, but our eyes are on tomorrow.
"We’ve got a race to win, and we know that the McLaren of Lando will be pushing us incredibly hard. Max (Verstappen) will also be in the fight, but I am so excited right now. We can’t wait for the race tomorrow," Russell noted.
While Lewis Hamilton initially looked a bit more comfortable behind the wheel of the W15, the seven-time world champion was ultimately just 0.171s away, meaning that the Mercedes pair will lock out the front row on Sunday.
"Having three Brits at the front of the grid for the British Grand Prix is incredible. A huge congratulations to George, he did such a great job to take pole position.
"We didn’t expect to be on the front-row this weekend. This result is therefore huge for us as a team. The car felt fantastic out there and everyone at Brackley and Brixworth deserves this.
"It was all about getting the tyre temperatures in the right place today and then sealing the deal with a good lap. I think there was a little time left on the table which George managed to extract.
"I feel confident in the car for tomorrow’s race. With both myself and George on the front-row, we have an advantage in trying to keep Lando (Norris) behind. Let’s see what we can do."
Expanding on his team's day, team boss Toto Wolff added: "That was a very good Saturday for the team. That is a front three for Mercedes-Benz power and three Brits at the front, which is special for the Silverstone crowd. That said, today doesn’t count for much.
"We need to do the job tomorrow and the McLaren of Lando Norris has looked incredibly quick. Keeping him behind will be a tough ask. The race tomorrow may be dictated by tyre degradation so we will have to be at our very best if we want to fight for victory.
"We’ve been on a rollercoaster in recent months, and it has been difficult at times. Coming here to one of the temples of motorsport and locking out the front-row is a great reward for everyone at Brackley and Brixworth.
"So much work has been done in all areas to help get us into this position. We are not stopping here though. We have more developments to come, and everyone is continuing to push incredibly hard," concluded Wolff.
