Russell, who will start fifth, said: “Max is probably going to slice through and win the race pretty comfortably. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who qualified second to Verstappen and will start from pole, said he, too, thought Verstappen could fight for the win. “With the pace we have in the car I want to move forward and be at least on the podium,” the Dutchman said. Sainz said Verstappen’s pace over the weekend was “a bit puzzling – he was more than 0.5secs ahead of us in every (tyre) compound and every situation”. “The car has been feeling really good all weekend,” Albon said.

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