George put in a stellar first run to clinch a spot in Q2 for the ninth time this season, outqualifying his team-mate for the 15th time in his Formula 1 career, to start P14 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

George delivered a 1:29.294 lap time to push him up into P8 during his first run. By the end of the session, the Brit had secured his Q2 place in P14 ahead of his fellow countryman, McLaren’s Lando Norris.

In Q2, George was only able to put in one timed lap after a car issue for Carlos Sainz brought out the red flag, pausing the session with nine minutes remaining.

To capitalise on the red flag, George then set his best lap time on a set of used Soft tyres, retaining two fresh sets of Medium tyres for the race.

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George Russell – Williams Racing Driver

“It was a very good session, and I am happy to have qualified P14. It was amazing to do a good lap and get into Q2, particularly having missed FP1 and then having had tricky sessions in FP2 and FP3. That was all we could hope for as the midfield is too far ahead but to outqualify the Haas and the Alfa, and to capitalise on the issue Carlos [Sainz] had was great. I was on a used tyre for Q2, as we wanted to retain two fresh sets of the medium tyre for tomorrow. The race will be difficult, but we will try our best and do everything we can.”

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The race will begin at 14:10 GMT on Sunday November 29.