When Lando Norris and Max Verstappen lined up alongside each other on the grid at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix, whoever entered turn one ahead was going to be in a fantastic position to win the race.
Max Verstappen had the advantage over his McLaren rival at the end of the first chicane but wasn’t leading the race.
That’s because George Russell took full advantage of the slipstream created by the two leaders in his Mercedes and his car was glued to the outside of the first corner as he swooped into the lead.
After the race, Russell was asked about the move as relayed by the Formula 1 website.
While he may have been frustrated not to have converted his early lead into a win or even a pole position, he was ultimately very happy with his getaway.
So much so, that Russell compared himself to Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso and his previous getaway all the way back in 2011.
It was the last time a driver had gone from fourth to first at the beginning of a race at the Circuit de Catalunya.
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George Russell admits channelling his inner Fernando Alonso at the Spanish Grand Prix
The grid has converged to such a point that there are four legitimate candidates for being the fastest car on the grid heading into every race weekend.
George Russell took a blistering pole position in Canada and while he was quick in Spain, he wasn’t on the same level as Verstappen or Norris over one lap on Saturday.
However, everything played into his hands leading into turn one in Spain that allowed him to take an unlikely lead.
Norris struggled with a touch of wheelspin in second gear off the line and was forced to immediately defend from Verstappen who got a decent getaway.
The Dutchman ended up dipping his tyres onto the grass and with Hamilton slightly bogged down from third place, suddenly Russell was the driver in the right position to take advantage of the slipstream.
Norris had to back off first due to being in the middle of the two cars and admitted in the cooldown room after the Grand Prix he would have caused a huge accident had he not braked early.
That left Russell in a fight with Verstappen and given he had the outside line, he was able to carry a lot more speed into the corner.
Russell said after the race that he was dreaming of getting such a good start and compared it to Fernando Alonso’s impressive getaway in 2011.
Alonso dropped further back that day to fifth, while Russell’s strategy ended up ultimately costing him a podium finish.
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George Russell unable to capitalise on mega start to the Spanish Grand Prix
Asked about the run down to the first corner, Russell said: “I was dreaming of making a move like I did into turn one last night. I didn’t think it would quite come to fruition in the way that it did!
“I remember Fernando (Alonso) making a similar start in 2013 [2011]. We had a headwind so I knew I could brake quite late.
“It was a very satisfying move and felt good to lead a race again. Unfortunately, Max (Verstappen) was too fast for us today, as was Lando. But two podiums in two races is very encouraging as we head to Austria.”
Russell said on the team radio during the race that he was having to push harder than the cars around him to hold position after being overtaken by Verstappen and Norris.
It meant switching to the hard tyres for the final stint which were nowhere near as fast as the mediums and allowed Hamilton to pass him in the end.
It was still a very positive weekend for Mercedes who look like genuine challengers for race wins now after a couple of years of struggles.
Russell will be hoping to continue his good form at the Austrian Grand Prix next weekend.
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