George Russell experienced a difficult afternoon of racing in the fifth round of the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship – the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix held at the Silverstone International Circuit.

The British driver started the 52-lap event from 15th place after a positive qualifying performance, however, a poor getaway from the eighth row of the grid pushed George down to 17th by the end of lap 1.

Heavy wear on his race-starting Medium tyres prompted George to pit on lap 8 for the more durable Hards before again stopping on lap 24 for a second set of the longer-lasting compound.

Continued degradation of the rear tyres led to extensive blistering which caused heavy vibrations and impacted visibility. This forced the Briton to box on precaution for a third time on lap 39 to fit the Mediums.

This additional pit stop put an end to George’s race-long duel with Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi, and despite closing the gap in the final stages of the race, the 22-year-old took 18th place ahead of team-mate Nicholas Latifi.

George Russell – Williams Racing Driver

“It was a very difficult race. We made a really poor getaway and lost a couple of positions. It was difficult for everybody, but that’s how it is in these tricky races sometimes. We have a lot to understand and review, it just wasn’t our day. It’s been two very different weekends at Silverstone. We need to understand why and what’s changed between these two weekends and how that will help us moving forward. Nevertheless, it has been a good two weeks. Our qualifying pace is strong, so we just need to keep working on our Sunday pace.”

After showing encouraging race pace, George will next head to Barcelona to contest the Spanish Grand Prix and the sixth race of the 2020 Formula 1 season.