Warning from Russell: How much is Mercedes’ fastest time on Friday worth?

George Russell ended the first day at Monza in the best possible way: the British driver from the Mercedes team set the fastest lap in the second practice session and was delighted to have clocked the fastest time. With a time of 1:22.559, he was just over a tenth of a second faster than Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc, having been three tenths slower than the Monegasque driver in the first session.

The Briton is certain: the red cars from Maranello are setting the pace on this high-speed circuit. After the session, he said: “Ferrari looked very competitive and still seem to be the benchmark to beat.”

And Russell isn’t just keeping an eye on his rivals from Maranello: “We also know how strong McLaren have been recently, and I have no doubt that they’ll be right up there in qualifying. We mustn’t overlook Red Bull Racing either.”

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old said the start to the 13th race weekend of the season had gone well. Lead engineer Andrew Shovlin also spoke of a good Friday after the second practice session, but issued a warning at the same time: “All our direct rivals have shown strong pace at various points. We’re not taking anything for granted, but we’re pleased that we’re clearly in the mix.”

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