Russell pleased with qualifying result in Qatar despite not making Q3

George Russell had to settle for P15 in qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix as he was unable to make a bigger impact and make it to the top ten shootout.

Russell's time of 1:22.756 was only enough in Q2 for 15th place, and although it may be seen as a disappointment by the Brit's high standards in 2021, Russell was pleased with his team's work.

"I am pleased with the job we did today as we were a few tenths ahead of the Alfa Romeos, who are our main rivals, but unfortunately, we were just a bit too far from Q3," Russell said to the Sky cameras.

"It was fun out there but it's always a shame when you can't make that next step, especially when you put in a strong lap.

"We were struggling to make the most of the tyre on the first lap but for Q2, we tried to maximise that one lap and we just couldn't quite get the most out of it. I think it will be difficult to overtake tomorrow but it's unique conditions here and a new track, so we're looking forward to the race and let's see what we can do."