George Russell tops final practice spot before Imola Sprint race

f1f

George Russell provided Mercedes with a timely boost by finishing fastest in final practice ahead of Saturday's Sprint race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Silver Arrows failed to get both cars into Q3 in qualifying for the first time in a decade, with Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton set to line up in 11th and 13th, respectively, for this afternoon's 21-lap dash around Imola.

But England's Russell led the way in the concluding practice session ahead of the Sprint race, which determines the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix.

Solid session for George and Lewis! Next up, the Sprint! ?? pic.twitter.com/RURDdCOhtp

Rain played havoc with Friday's running at Imola, but under blue skies and on a dry track today (23 April), Russell finished 0.081 seconds clear of Red Bull's Sergio Perez, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc third.

Hamilton, who was involved in an animated exchange with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff following his underwhelming showing in qualifying, was fourth, half-a-second adrift of his teammate.

But Hamilton and world champion Max Verstappen, who finished seventh, were both involved in off-track excursions. Fernando Alonso finished fifth for Alpine, one spot ahead of Carlos Sainz.

Lando Norris completed only four laps following a brake failure, while McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo and Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas were sidelined for the hour with mechanical problems.

Imola FP2 results:1George Russell - Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team1m19.457s2Sergio Perez - Oracle Bull Racing1m19.538s3Charles Leclerc - Scuderia Ferrari1m19.740s4Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team1m19.992s5Fernando Alonso - BWT Alpine F1 Team1m20.1741s6Carlos Sainz - Scuderia Ferrari1m20.258s7Max Verstappen - Oracle Red Bull