George Russell Warns of Ferrari Threat After Dutch GP Sprint Win: “Extremely Close” Qualifying Ahead

George Russell claimed victory in the sprint at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, securing his third sprint win of the season. The Mercedes driver was pleased with the team’s strong start to the weekend, while acknowledging that Ferrari could provide a serious challenge in qualifying. “It's a fantastic way to start the weekend. Charles, Lando and I were talking after the race, and we agreed that if the sprint had lasted just one more lap, the outcome could have been very different. That’s why I’m particularly pleased that the rain arrived immediately after the chequered flag. The start to the weekend has been very positive, but Ferrari look extremely strong at the moment, so I expect a very competitive qualifying session. Throughout the sprint, I understood that any overtaking opportunities were likely to come towards the closing stages. I therefore focused on managing the tyres through the high-speed corners, making sure I had enough performance left for the final laps. I also knew that if Charles managed to get ahead of Lando, he would immediately pick up the pace. Once Charles moved into second place behind me, I pushed a little harder, and the two of us managed to pull away from the rest of the field. We will make a few adjustments to the set-up ahead of qualifying, but there is no reason to make any major changes. We’ll see how those adjustments work.”