Russell was "frustrated about my performance on lap one"

F1 Grand Prix, GP Spain, Circuit de Catalunya

Having finished fourth at the Spanish Grand Prix, Mercedes driver George Russell noted that he was left frustrated about his performance on the opening tour of the 66-lap race.

Following a tough weekend at Monte Carlo, Mercedes looked very strong in qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix. George Russell secured fourth place on the grid while his team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli qualified sixth.

The Briton might have expected to complete the same start that he had last year at Barcelona, but he endured different fortunes to what he achieved a year ago. Russell was picked off by Lewis Hamilton at Turn 1 before he was also overtaken by Charles Leclerc into Turn 5.

He then played the long game and managed to overtake his former team-mate with an undercut strategy. At the safety car restart, he was adamant to overtake Max Verstappen, as he dived down the inside into Turn 1 but made contact with the Dutchman.

Red Bull then instructed Verstappen to hand the place back to Russell following their scarp at Turn 1. With just three laps left to go, the Dutchman slowed down at Turn 5, and Russell completed the move on the outside, but the reigning champion appeared to speed back up again, leading to contact between the pair.

The four-time F1 champion would eventually let Russell through into Turn 11, and the Mercedes driver finished in P4.

His team-mate Antonelli looked on for points today despite losing out at the start as he ran wide, but his race ended in the gravel after an apparent Power unit issue for his second DNF in three races.

Reflecting on his race at Barcelona, Russell has revealed that he was left frustrated by his own performance on the opening lap which saw him lose two places to Leclerc and Hamilton.

"We finished where we started today and P4 was probably the best we could have done today. The last 10 laps saw plenty of action, but I am frustrated about my performance on lap one.

"I made a good start but dropped back from there and both Ferraris got ahead of me. I felt like Charles (Leclerc) was reachable today, but things got shuffled a bit with the Safety Car and, after contact with Verstappen, it was a bit too much of an ask to track him down.

Signing off with a word for his team' latest form, Russell noted: "Overall, we can come away from Barcelona pleased with some of the progress we have seen this weekend.

"Finishing P4 is quite consistent with where we have been racing since the beginning of the season, so it feels good to be back in that area pace wise after two difficult races.

"Unfortunately, we are still a long way from the leaders, but we are taking steps forward. We will be looking to continue making progress next time out in Canada."