Russell rues Mercedes 'misjudgement' that cost him Sao Paulo pole

George Russell believes his aborted final Q3 lap at Interlagos was good enough for pole, calling Mercedes' decision to back off a collective "misjudgement" as the rain closed in.

Still processing the loss of the 2026 Drivers' Championship to team mate Kimi Antonelli, Russell had been quicker than Lando Norris to that point — but Mercedes banked on another 60 seconds of running before the weather turned, and never got it. Norris took pole, and Russell's five-place grid penalty drops him to P7.

Why it matters:

Mercedes still hold the upper hand in the Constructors' fight, needing just three points to see off Ferrari. With Antonelli promoted onto the front row alongside Norris, that should be a formality — but Russell's demotion removes one layer of insurance on a weekend where conditions are anything but settled.

The details:

• Russell was slightly held up by Alex Albon but insisted the lap "still would've been good enough for the pole" and that "pole was ours for the taking there".
• He framed the session as proof he has "not forgotten how to drive" — a pointed remark after a bruising title defeat to his team mate.
• Antonelli admitted he "made two big mistakes" in Q3 and ended 0.625s adrift of Norris, saying it was his first time around Interlagos in the wet.

What's next:

More rain is forecast for Sunday. Russell called the race "going to be tricky" but drew confidence from his raw pace, while Antonelli — chasing a tenth win of the year — said a wet grand prix "is going to be fun". Mercedes have one target this weekend: sealing the teams' title.