George advances to Q2 to claim P15 in a red-flagged marred qualifying session ahead of Formula One’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

George’s Saturday did not get off to the start he wanted as a water pump leak forced the British driver to end his session prematurely after his FW45-B stopped on track.

Once the car was returned to the garage, it was a race against time for George’s William mechanics as they attempted to replace the power unit in time for qualifying.

As qualifying got underway, the Williams mechanics of both George and teammate Nicholas Latifi continued to work on the car. However, a red flag after only one minute of the short session proved to be the saving grace the team needed, and they were able to finish the necessary work on the car.

Once the session got underway, George quickly took to the track to put in a vital lap to take P15, pushing him out of the knockout stages and into a Q2 position.

Unfortunately for the Brit, a red flag during Q2 ruined his chances of advancing any further and he had to settle for P15.

‍

George Russell – Williams Racing Driver

‍“Firstly, the mechanics did a fantastic job. I think that must be a record time for a full power unit change and getting everything sorted! Huge thanks to them. We then delivered when it mattered and I'm really happy to get into Q2.  That was almost the maximum today; we capitalised on other people's mistakes so I'm happy with the overall performance.

Tomorrow is going to be really interesting. Hopefully there is a bit of action and we can make the most of it.”

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will take place on Sunday June 6 from 2pm BST.