Russell frustrated by 'scrappy' qualifying after missing out on Italian Grand Prix pole

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/russell-george/xxF56RaN/"]Russell[/a] looked nailed on for pole position after putting his car on provisional pole, but to everyone's surprise, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gasly-pierre/nqYFMBBf/"]Gasly[/a] had other ideas and snatched pole position from his and Mercedes' grasp.[/p][p]Reacting to being pipped at the last second, Russell was frustrated that the promise from Saturday's final practice session hadn't translated into much of qualifying. [/p][p][b]"It was a very scrappy session; I didn't feel quite as good with the car as I did in FP3. And then in Q3 we had a bit of an incident with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/verstappen-max/UV3mgeXB/"]Verstappen[/a] entering the lap; he wanted to get the tow and I ended up finishing my lap a second and a half behind him."[/b][/p][p]Despite his frustration, Russell was quick to give Gasly his flowers on a stunning pole that came against all the odds, especially considering Mercedes' dominance all day.[/p][p][b]"Which wasn't ideal but takes nothing away from what Pierre achieved because, as you said, we were flying all day, quickest in Q1 and right up there from the beginning. I am happy for Pierre and, of course, disappointed for ourselves, as we want pole. [/b][/p][p]"But we are in a great position for tomorrow."[/p][embed guid="6df66ced-2032-4fc8-88a8-edaf1d0f8786" url="https://x.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/2096279427470467445" social-type="twitter" /][p]Asked whether Mercedes and the rest of the grid had taken Gasly's pace seriously enough, Russell admitted he didn't think Alpine were their competition even after the first qualifying session.[/p][p][b] "They've looked strong all weekend. But we have often seen in Q1 that midfield teams have competitive laps and I didn't think much of it. [/b][/p][p]"They looked fast and Pierre obviously did a good job in Q1 but to be totally honest, we didn't think they were in the fight.[/p][p][b]"It just shows what a great job he did and their team did to get the pole and pretty impressive."[/b][/p][p]Looking ahead to the race on Sunday, Russell fancied his chances of securing what would be a crucial win for him in his battle for the world championship.[/p][p]He said: [b]"We are definitely in with a shot of the win. It will be interesting fighting with Pierre; I think they have got a car that has some good straight-line speed. [/b][/p][p]''I don't really know where the fight is tomorrow, but confident I have got the pace to go for the win."[/p][embed guid="44ab06ff-dedb-469c-8e18-16484ca9da0f" url="https://x.com/F1/status/2096279648573263983" social-type="twitter" /][p]Finally, asked about how important a win is in the context of the title battle, Russell was keen to focus on his improved performance after coming back from the summer break.[/p][p][b] "Every race is important, to be honest. I am more pleased with the performance in general. I have come back from the summer break and every lap, every session, I have been in the mix of the top three positions like I was at the start of the season. [/b][/p][p]"I had that tough run of form prior to the break where every lap wasn't even in the top five. So to come back, I am pleased to have found my feet again. Of course, the win is going to be very important tomorrow but I am more pleased about the performance."[/p]