Russell resets setup, finds confidence for Barcelona pole

George Russell said a back-to-basics reset of his car setup and mindset restored his confidence and helped him take pole position for the Barcelona Grand Prix. After a difficult run since Miami, he abandoned recent setup experiments, stopped following teammate Kimi Antonelli’s direction and returned to methods that had worked earlier in the season and in past years. The change made him feel like his old self again and more in control of the Mercedes.

The turnaround followed scoreless weekends in Canada and Monaco that left Russell third in the standings and 68 points behind Antonelli, who had won five straight Grands Prix. Russell said he had overthought his approach and made several wrong decisions in recent races. In Barcelona, he topped two of the three practice sessions and said he spent every lap in the top two, while Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called him the fastest driver all weekend.

Russell’s pole was a sharp turnaround ahead of his 100th Mercedes Grand Prix start. He said the result mattered less than regaining comfort and confidence, and he expected a tough race from Antonelli, the McLaren drivers and other rivals.