Williams improves but search for points continues

George Russell said his Williams last Sunday was“the best it has ever felt in a race”, despite missing out on breakthrough points.

Williams double-stacked Russell and Nicholas Latifi at an early stop under the safety car, and then ran to the end of the race with only one more stop each, leaving Russell on the fringes of the points with 15 laps to go. But the two-stopping Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll, plus Kimi Raikkonen on a genuine onestopper, eventually passed the fading Williams all on one lap as Russell slumped to 14th. He then also lost out to Sebastian Vettel late on, despite the struggles both Aston Martins faced on soft tyres.

Stroll missed out on a point after a late battle with Gasly, having also duelled thrice with Fernando Alonso, whose attempt at a one-stopper was abandoned late on when he pitted five laps from home, leaving him 17th.