Third row in France for George
George clinches P6 in qualifying ahead of Formula One’s French Grand Prix.
In the final practice of the weekend, George headed out on the Hard Pirelli tyres before quickly switching onto the Softs, completing his first flying lap to take him into P5 with a 1.34.248.
The Brit chipped away at his lap time as the session unfurled, setting his best time of 1.33.376 on the Soft tyres with 18 laps on the board to end FP3 in P6 ahead of the crucial qualifying session.
Taking to the track for Q1, George put himself into P7 early in the session with a 1.32.887 lap time before returning to the pits.
As the rest of the field set their flying laps, George dropped down the timings and the Brit re-joined the session for a final push.
Despite being hampered by a yellow flag due to Alex Albon running off, George secured his place in Q2 in P10.
In Q2, George slotted himself into P2 in the opening minutes of the session but was knocked down the timings into the elimination zones as the rest of the pack put in their fast laps.
Switching onto a set of fresh Soft tyres for the final minutes of the session, George set about claiming a place in the final qualifying session.
Setting his best time of 1.33.109, George was able to clinch a spot in Q3 in P7.
Heading out for the final qualifying session, George donned a set of used Soft tyres to place into P4.
Dropping down one place, George was set to take the chequered flag in P5 but was pipped to the place by Lando Norris and he will line up in P6 for tomorrow’s French Grand Prix.
George Russell – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ Team Driver
As a team, I feel we're a bit further away than we would have hoped or expected, especially after yesterday. Personally, I had a good start to Q3, I was in P4 and just made a mistake on my last lap. At the end of the day, I think the time gap to the front is more concerning than the position. We need to understand it, as we're the only team on the grid that closes the gap to the front on a Sunday compared to a Saturday. All the other gaps extend, and we manage to reduce it. Hopefully, Lewis can take the fight to Checo tomorrow, but I think Charles and Max are probably too quick for us at the moment.