George claims P12 as he narrowly misses out on Q3 spot in Imola.

Despite a tricky qualifying session which was interrupted by an early red flag, George and Williams teammate Nicholas Latifi delivered the team’s best qualifying performance since the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix.

A nail biting Q1 session, George narrowly clinched a spot in Q2 at the last moment as he delivered a 1:15.826 to push him up into P14, ahead of Alpine’s Fernando Alonso, and out of the elimination zone.

George continued to improve his lap times going into Q2, running in P10 on the Medium (C3) compound Pirelli tyres during the session.

Although he was unable to hold onto the top 10 position, George delivered his best lap time of a 1:15.261 to secure P12 for Sunday, finishing ahead of Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and continuing his record of outscoring his teammate with Latifi finishing in P14.

George Russell – Williams Racing Driver

“The car has been feeling good this weekend, personally I was off the pace all weekend and Nicholas was faster than me in every session. I was struggling and I didn’t have the confidence, but in Q2 we made it work.

We got through Q1 by the skin of our teeth and then did a really good job in Q2 when it mattered. I am really happy with P12, the car is looking quick in a straight line which is going to help us tomorrow on a track that is difficult to overtake. I think it’s going to be an exciting one.”

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix will take place on Sunday April 18 at 2pm BST.