Challenging qualifying in COTA for George
A difficult Saturday in Texas for George as the Brit will start the US Grand Prix from P20 after an engine penalty.
In the final free practice session of the weekend, the entire field made a very steady exit from the pits with George taking to the track on the Soft compound Pirelli tyres, 20 minutes into the session.
On his first run, George was able to deliver a 1.36.949 lap time to slot himself into P9. However, a spin at turn five dropped him down to P12 but George was able to re-join the track before pitting.
The Brit switched to a new set of Soft tyres and made his way back onto the circuit to put in some crucial final laps, ending the morning in P12.
In Q1, George began the session on the Soft tyres, putting himself into P14 on his first run.
George remained in P14 for the majority of the Q1 session before improving in the final moments to move into P12 and through into Q2.
For Q2, George again opted to run the Soft tyres at the start of the session before changing to the Medium tyres for the remainder of the session.
The Brit struggled throughout Q2, setting his first lap time on his final lap to put him into P13. However, the lap time was swiftly cancelled, pushing him down into P15 where he ended the day.
An engine penalty for George moves him into P20 where he will start the US Grand Prix.
George Russell – Williams Racing Driver
The US Grand Prix will take place from 8pm BST on Sunday, October 24.