George ends Friday running in P19 as Formula One returns to the Circuit of the Americas for the United States Grand Prix.

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The morning’s FP1 session had barely gotten underway when all running was halted after a mechanical problem for the Alpine of Fernando Alonso caused the Spaniard to stop on track.

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10 minutes into the session, the track was deemed clear, and the session restarted with George taking to the circuit for the first time in two years on a set of the Soft compound Pirelli tyres.

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The Brit put in a 1.39.570 lap time to take him into P9 but, as a flurry of fast lap times began to come in, he was pushed down into P17 by the middle of the session.

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George improved on his lap time, putting in a 1.36.966 lap time and moving himself up into the top 10 before dropping into P11 by the end of the session.

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In FP2, George opted to take to the track 15 minutes into the session on the Soft tyres, placing into P17 on his first run out.

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The Brit then switched to the Medium tyres, collecting valuable data on the tyres ahead of Saturday’s qualifying sessions and Sunday’s 56 lap race.

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George ended the FP2 session and Friday’s track time in P19.

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George Russell – Williams Racing Driver

It’s great to be back here in the USA and driving around the incredible Circuit of the Americas track. The race here was sorely missed last year. Nevertheless, we had a tricky day today dealing with the high temperatures and difficult track conditions. We’ve got plenty to review overnight and will be working hard and aiming to solve some issues ahead of FP3 and Qualifying tomorrow.

FP3 for the US Grand Prix will take place at 7pm BST on Saturday, October 23.

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