{
  "id": 11706956,
  "title": "Russell confident poor qualifying does not end his chances in Malaysia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/russell-confident-poor-qualifying-does-not-end-his-chances-in-malaysia-11706956",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-03T14:32:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/motor-sports/2026/10/1546986/russell-confident-poor-qualifying-does-not-end-his-chances"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "George Russell expressed confidence that his poor qualifying position for the Bahrain Grand Prix will not end his chances in the Malaysia round. This comes a week after his victory in Azerbaijan, which provided him with a crucial foothold in the championship race. Russell's 15 points from Azerbaijan saw him trim Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonsen's title advantage to 66, with 208 points still remaining in the race. For Sunday's rescheduled Manama round in Malaysia, Russell will start four positions behind Antonsen. Max Verstappen claimed his first pole of the year, followed by Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton on the front row. However, Russell's Mercedes team might question the effectiveness of their updates, as they witnessed their poorest one-lap performance so far. Despite finishing 0.240 seconds behind Antonsen, Russell remains optimistic about his performance in Malaysia, citing the significant tyre degradation and the circuit's abrasive tarmac as factors affecting his race pace.",
  "summary": "SEPANG: George Russell insisted his worst grid position of the year for Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix “is not the be all and end all” – a week after his brilliant win in Azerbaijan had provided him with a foothold in the world championship race, PA Media/dpa reported.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Motorsport.com",
        "title": "George Russell forced to suffer in Malaysia as cost cap bites",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/george-russell-forced-to-suffer-in-malaysia-as-cost-cap-bites",
        "published": "2026-10-03T08:41:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Russell confident poor qualifying does not end his chances in Malaysia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/russell-confident-poor-qualifying-does-not-end-his-chances-in-malaysia",
        "published": "2026-10-03T11:33:28.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}