Russell made it into the top 10 shootout despite using the medium tyre in the second part of qualifying, so he can gain the strategic advantage of starting the race on it. Norris qualified fourth on this track last weekend but excelled himself on Saturday. Russell had just missed out on a place in the final part of qualifying last weekend when he lined up 11th. It was all the more impressive that he managed to do it on the medium tyre, which is a few tenths of a second slower than the soft, but which offers an advantage in the race. “We definitely can’t take it to the Red Bulls [in the race].

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