Russell: "We are the next best thing"

The British pilot stated that they had achieved a strong pace throughout the weekend and were hopeful of fighting for the podium in the race.

"We were in the top three in all the practice sessions today, but things changed a bit in qualifying. Q2 was our best session, and in Q1 I was on fresh tyres, the others weren't.

"Ferrari has been on pole here for the last few years, they're always very strong at this track. Lando did a fantastic job, so we're the next best to the best. Oscar and I were only one tenth behind, so I'm happy to stay on the right side," he said.

Russell stated that starting position is more critical than ever in Mexico. “I would still choose pole, but this is the toughest track of the year. It's up to the pole driver to decide. If he stays to the left, he blocks the odd-numbered drivers; if he moves to the right, the even-numbered drivers gain an advantage,” he said.

Expressing his optimism about race pace, Russell said strategy would be key. "Obviously, our race pace looked pretty strong," he said. "It was one of the most competitive Fridays of the season outside of Singapore and Montreal."

"It's promising, but when you're stuck behind a Ferrari you can't use that pace. If they both pit on the same lap, we can turn that to our advantage. Turn 1 will be very important this weekend," he said.