Manama:George Russell is maintaining optimism despite his worst grid position of the year for the Bahrain Grand Prix, scheduled at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit due to the conflict in West Asia.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Russell's recent success in Azerbaijan, where he trimmed his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli's lead by 15 points, had positioned him well in the championship race. However, in Malaysia, Russell will start four places behind Antonelli. Max Verstappen secured his first pole of the year, with Lewis Hamilton joining him on the front row. Isack Hadjar, initially qualifying third, was relegated five places due to a penalty, promoting Antonelli to third and Russell to seventh.

Mercedes, anticipating their latest upgrades to advance their position, faced disappointment with their poorest one-lap performance of the season. Russell, who finished 0.240 seconds behind Antonelli despite having more attempts, acknowledged the underperformance but remains hopeful.

Russell noted the significant tyre degradation at the Sepang Circuit and emphasized that race pace will be crucial. He expressed confidence in Mercedes' overall season performance and the potential for improvement despite the qualifying setback.

Verstappen, meanwhile, appears poised to capitalize on his pole position, seeking his first win of 2026. While Hamilton, who is 103 points behind in the title race, aims to replicate his success from Barcelona earlier in the year, he expressed satisfaction with his qualifying performance and readiness for the race.