George Russell Predicts Ferrari Comeback For Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Mercedes driver George Russell has warned of increased Ferrari performance at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The British driver explained that Ferrari has consistently shown good performance on the streets of Baku so he is wary that the Maranello-based squad will be one to look out for over the weekend.

Speaking during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix drivers' press conference, Russell explained:

"Ferrari have historically been pretty quick here. So they normally have a bit of a trick up their sleeve when it comes to that soft tyre.

"So they might be a little bit more competitive than we've seen in recent races," the Briton told Sky Sports at the press conference.

The Baku circuit has seen some big changes ahead of the race including half of the corners being resurfaced, the second DRS zone being shortened by 100m, and of course the sprint race format having a mix-up.

Russell explained that everyone will be in the same boat with the new surface and that he and the team need to maximise it as best as possible with there only being one practice session. He continued:

"That is unfamiliar territory though, so again, that's another unknown, but it's the same for everyone. So we'll go in with an open mind and try and maximise it. The track's going to be dirty in practice, which makes it quite irrelevant."

Racing gets underway tomorrow with the free practice session in the morning followed by the qualifying session for the grand prix. Saturday will hold the first sprint race of the season with the sprint shootout in the morning.

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