George Russell has revealed that he was bracing for a potential crash with Max Verstappen at the start of the Qatar Grand Prix, given the tense atmosphere with the Red Bull driver following the pair's on-track encounter the day before in qualifying.
Verstappen, who had been demoted from pole position to P2 for impeding Russell in the session, was clearly fired up, having also taken exception with how the Mercedes driver had painted him as the villain during their subsequent meeting with stewards.
Fortunately for everyone involved, there was no clash at the first corner between the two protagonists.
"Yeah, to be honest, I was expecting a crash," Russell admitted, recounting his mindset heading into the opening seconds of the race.
As the lights went out, Verstappen's fury turned into a flawless launch, quickly erasing any lingering doubts about his intent. He emerged forward, claiming the inside line at Turn 1 and snatching the lead from Russell, who struggled off the line.
"But ultimately we made it easy for him because both Lewis [Hamilton] and I made a terrible start," Russell continued.
"So it was a pretty simple overtake for him, which was a bit frustrating for us. We know Max is a fighter and is aggressive. I expect no different.”
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Russell's hopes of replicating his recent strong performances were dashed early on as he also lost a position to McLaren's Lando Norris in the opening lap.
Despite showing strong pace in Saturday's Sprint race, where he was competitive with the McLaren drivers, Russell found himself unable to keep up with the frontrunners during the Grand Prix.
"I really wanted to go out there and fight with him today like we could have done in the Sprint. But yesterday in the Sprint he was probably two or three-tenths behind us. Today we were two or three-tenths behind him.
"It just goes to show what a night can do in this sport. It's always on a knife's edge. It's a shame we didn't have the pace when it mattered."
While Russell was in contention for a podium spot mid-race, a slow seven-second pit stop derailed his progress. Trapped behind Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin, he struggled to regain momentum in the tightly packed field.
Adding to the frustration, Russell incurred a five-second penalty for leaving more than 10 car lengths between himself and the Safety Car, further complicating his recovery.
"I think P4 is probably a flattering result considering how the race went," he confessed. "Start was bad, had a slow pit stop. Penalty, I don't even know what for, to be honest. So, yeah, it's a stretch."
Reflecting on the rollercoaster weekend, Russell lamented how quickly fortunes can shift in Formula 1.
"It's funny how the sport changes overnight. Everything was great on Friday, Saturday was a great day. We had no pace today," he said.
Despite the challenges, Russell capitalized on the misfortunes of others. Carlos Sainz's puncture and Lando Norris's 10-second stop-and-go penalty for a yellow flag infraction allowed the Mercedes driver to climb back to fourth by the checked flag.
"At best we were two or three-tenths behind Max and Lando," Russell concluded, expressing his disappointment.
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