George qualified in P15 ahead of Formula One’s first-ever Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit.

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The final practice session got off to an unusual start as only two minutes into the session, the red flag came out after the Haas of Nikita Mazepin stopped at the exit of pitlane and any chance of running was stopped.

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Once the track was cleared, the green flag waved, and the session got back underway.

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George made a late exit from the pits, joining the session after 20 minutes on the Medium compound Pirelli tyres.

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The Brit out in a number of flying laps, setting a 1:24.641 lap time to take him into P13 before pitting to switch to the Soft tyres.

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With 10 minutes remaining, George improved into P12 but was unable to hold onto the position, ending FP3 in P14.

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In Q1, George took to the track on a set of Soft tyres, placing himself into P11 early in the session.

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After pitting for a fresh set of Softs, George re-joined the track for another run to move himself up into P10.

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A flurry of fast laps pushed George down into P15 where he ended the session, securing his spot in Q2.

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For Q2, George immediately joined the track to begin his first run and put in a 1:22.925 lap time.

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The Brit sat in P7 early in the session but dropped down into P13 as the rest of the field delivered their fast laps.

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On his final run, George put in a 1.22.756 lap time but was unable to improve on his P13 position and opted to pit for the remaining three minutes of the session.

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With improvements from the rest of the grid, George was pushed down into P15 where he will start the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday.

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George Russell – Williams Racing Driver‍

I am pleased with the job we did today as we were a few tenths ahead of the Alfa Romeos, who are our main rivals, but unfortunately, we were just a bit too far from Q3. It was fun out there but it's always a shame when you can't make that next step, especially when you put in a strong lap. We were struggling to make the most of the tyre on the first lap but for Q2, we tried to maximise that one lap and we just couldn't quite get the most out of it. I think it will be difficult to overtake tomorrow but it's unique conditions here and a new track, so we're looking forward to the race and let's see what we can do.

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The Qatar Grand Prix will get underway at 2 pm GMT on Sunday, November 21.

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