Wolff predicts Russell will lead first lap of F1 Russian GP

Russell starred in wet-dry conditions as he secured a spot on the second row of the grid for Williams behind shock pole sitter Lando Norris and the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz during a hugely dramatic conclusion to Q3 at Sochi.

Third on the grid has proved a highly beneficial place to start from in Russia due to the big slipstream effect on the long run down to the first major braking zone at Turn 2.

Both Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel took advantage of a massive tow to propel themselves into the lead of the Russian GP when they started from P3 in 2017 and 2019 respectively.

And Wolff has predicted it could be a similar story this year for Russell, who will line-up alongside his 2022 Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.

“I would not be surprised if George is leading the race after Turn 2,” Wolff said.

“And that will be good fun to watch. As long as Lewis can make up many positions, we would have the present and the future running in P1 and P2!

“But joking aside he has shown strong performance today, he’s been taking massive risks by being the first one to pit for softs.

“But equally where he was probably qualifying eighth or ninth, that was the right thing to do from Williams’s side and George’s side, but you still need to bring it home and that’s what he did.”

Russell said he will aiming to capitalise on the strong straightline speed potential of his “slippery” Williams to mix it up for the lead early on.

“P3 here is an incredible position to start,” Russell explained.

“It’s a really long run into Turn 2 here, we’re pretty slippery on the straights and hopefully Lando will give me a nice little slipstream into Turn 1. So, you know, definitely really happy.”