Mercedes driver George Russell is wary of Ferrari's speed, especially at the start, ahead of the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix main race on Sunday, after seeing the competitive performance of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in the Sprint Race and qualifying session.
Russell, who will start the race from second place, said the Ferrari duo could pose a serious threat to Mercedes even though his team has regained control of the front row.
"We also have to pay attention to the red cars. They're very fast on the start," Russell said, as reported on the official Formula 1 website.
"I'm sure Lewis Hamilton will be quite aggressive at the start of the race, but for us the most important thing is to keep the race clean, have a good race for the fans, and see what we can do," he said.
Russell secured second on the grid after experiencing a number of technical issues in qualifying, including front wing damage in Q2 and a car issue that resulted in a stoppage at the start of Q3.
"This is clearly an attempt to limit losses. In Q2, the front wing was damaged and we're still trying to figure it out, and then in Q3, the car wouldn't restart and couldn't change gears," Russell said.
