“The car was really on it in these wet conditions,” Russell said, “and there is so much that has to go right – all the little details to give the driver confidence. Russell’s lap came as a result of an approach to qualifying by the Williams team that Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who manages the driver’s career, described as “risky but clever”. “We have a really quick race car if the weather conditions stay dry or nearly dry,” Wolff said. Even in the dry, he will fancy mixing it with Verstappen and Hamilton on the first lap at least.

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