George Russell downplays the importance of his decline in the qualifying trials in Malaysia, and the Ireland coach talks about the pressures of political matches

British Mercedes driver George Russell confirmed that starting from his worst position on the starting grid this year in the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday was “not the end of the world,” a week after his wonderful victory in Azerbaijan, which gave him a boost in his struggle for the world championship title.

British news agency PA Media reported that Russell earned 15 points from championship leader Kimi Antonelli with his dominant win on the streets of Baku, reducing the gap with his Mercedes teammate to 66 points, with 208 possible points remaining in the competition.

But he will start in the Manama race, which has been rescheduled and will be held on Sunday at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, from seventh place, four places behind his competitor.

Dutchman Max Verstappen, driver of the Red Bull team, won his first starting position this year, and will start next to British Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton from the front row. Frenchman Isaac Hajjar finished third in qualifying, but he will fall five places due to the use of new engine components, so the penalty pushes Antonelli to third place and Russell to seventh place.

It was expected that Mercedes would likely help the car's biggest upgrade package in four months widen its lead over rivals at the front of the standings, but instead it produced its worst performance yet on a single lap.

The disappointing starting positions raised major questions about the effectiveness of the new updates, and Russell will also reconsider his performance. He finished the qualifying trials 0.240 seconds behind Antonelli, despite receiving an additional attempt compared to his colleague during the decisive round of the third qualifying trial.

But Russell, who spoke optimistically on the eve of the first Formula 1 race in Malaysia since 2017, said: “A lot will happen tomorrow. “Tire wear is very high, and the pace of the race will be the deciding factor, so although what happened today was really disappointing, it is not the end of the world.”

He added: “This circuit is exceptional in terms of the roughness of the asphalt surface. Nine years ago lap times were six or seven seconds faster, and in some parts you felt like you were driving on gravel. “It applies to everyone, but it clearly affects us more than others.”

He continued: “As a team, we have not yet had a bad race throughout this season, and these were certainly very bad qualifying experiences for us. All the numbers indicate that the update represents an improvement, but it is clear that we need to follow the lap times and not what the numbers say. The numbers looked quite good and in line with our expectations, but the result was not like that.”

Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said on Saturday that his team will emerge from the international break stronger, after playing two matches surrounded by a tense political atmosphere against Israel, after fans and political figures demanded a boycott of them.

The two matches have been the focus of great attention since the draw was drawn in February, as Ireland is one of the European countries most critical of Israel's war in Gaza, and the country has witnessed numerous protests demanding that the national team not play them.

Opposition to Ireland playing against Israel was so intense that the Irish Football Association chose to hold the match behind closed doors in Baca Topola, a small Serbian town with a population of about 12,000, rather than in Dublin.

Backup goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who declined to join the squad for the first match against Israel, will be absent again when the two teams meet in Serbia on Sunday, as will captain Dara O'Shea due to the birth of his child.

The Icelandic coach said in a press conference on Saturday: “On the football level, the most important thing that awaits us is to control our level of concentration and maintain focus on that match (against Israel), and not lose it.”

He added: “People in Ireland expressed strong feelings about this matter, and it is clear that this affects the players as well. “We want to perform well, but it will always be a challenge when the atmosphere is this tense.”

Thursday's match, which ended in a 2-2 draw with Austria in Dublin, witnessed two short protests, but a wonderful goal from Troy Parrott, and four points from the last two matches, eased the intensity of the political controversy surrounding the Irish team.

The Irish Football Association continues to investigate allegations that its players, Adam Edah and James Abankwah, were subjected to racist insults during the 3-0 win over Israel in Hungary last Sunday.

Hallgrimsson said: “It is a process conducted by our departments and then the European Football Association (UEFA) to consider it.”

He added: “I think both teams reported the matter.” “I just hope we can focus on football and that it will win in the end.”

The 59-year-old coach said that the difficulties the team faced would make it stronger.

He added: “Surviving this camp and emerging from it more cohesive as a team will be a huge victory for me. “I say this from the bottom of my heart.”

He continued: “I think that all the challenges that this team went through, and all the criticism, yes, I think that just standing as one team after this match will be a great victory for me, this group, and the Irish Federation.”