George Russell: Williams seem closer to the rest as a team

Williams rookie George Russell thinks the Grove-based team have come closer to the rest of the field, even though the reigning Formula 2 champion was more than three and a half seconds off the pace in qualifying in China.

The British side has not had the road to recovery they would've liked this season, finishing in the last two places of all remaining cars in both Australia and Bahrain. Still, ahead of qualifying in China, Russell was positive about how Williams as a team have grown in the young season already.

“We seem closer as a team to everybody else than the previous two races, so we are heading in the right direction," the 20-year-old said.

"We have to make the most of it, keep pushing, understanding the car, and see what we can do tomorrow,” he concluded on Friday.

That qualifying, which has already happened now, saw Russell beating his teammate Robert Kubica once again as the pair won't start on the last starting row. Alexander Albon of Toro Rosso and Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi both didn't run in qualifying, bumping the FW42's up two places - P17 is the highest starting place in Russell's young career.