Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Reserve Driver George Russell was unable to capitalise on a promising start to his FIA F2 Championship campaign, as a stall on the grid thwarted his challenge in the second race of the weekend at Bahrain.

Russell, starting from 4th on the grid for the partially reversed Sprint Race was elevated to a net 3rd as Sean Gelael stalled on the formation lap. After the cars all formed up on the grid and the lights went out, Russell and ART Grand Prix teammate Jack Aitken both stalled at the start - luckily all driver's avoided the stricken cars.

Russell was pushed into the pits and restarted, getting out just ahead of the leading group and not going 1 lap behind. This setback but Russell out of contention for points unless a Safety Car intervened. Sadly this never materialised for the luckless Russell.

It was a case of what could have been for Russell, as throughout the race, he demonstrating race pace that would have seen him challenge for the victory.

George Russell "I let the team down today, pretty gutted to say the least. We will come back stronger next race, I have no doubt, we have the potential. Reflecting on the weekend, there was a lot of positives to take away from the negatives in the Sprint Race. I am still feeling confident for the rest of the season and we will be fighting for this championship.

After the opening round and first two races of the 2018 FIA F2 Championship, Russell is 7th overall in the championship standings with 10 points after his 5th position in the Feature Race.

The next round of the championship takes place on the 27-29 April, at the Azjerbaijan Grand Prix on the streets of Baku.