George Russell seals fourth place at Canadian Grand Prix

George Russell continued his run of form as the only driver to end every race in the top five this season with a fourth place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Mercedes driver’s race weekend did not start with stunning results, as in the two Friday practice sessions he could only set times good enough for sixth and seventh as he and his team were struggling to get the car into a good set-up window.

In the final stage of qualifying, Russell made an all-or-nothing decision to switch to slick tyres in an attempt at emulating his third place qualifying last year in Sochi with Williams.

It was a decision that would either put him into grid position one or into the barriers at turn one. Unfortunately for Russell, the latter turned out to be true as he could not get the heat into his tyres, leaving him in eighth - four places behind his team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

But Russell had a strong start to the main event after a first lap overtake on Haas’s Mick Schumacher moved him up to seventh.

The driver from Tydd then moved up the grid further after nice overtakes on Esteban Ocon and an ailing Kevin Magnussen with a damaged front wing.

Russell made his first pit stop of the Grand Prix under another virtual safety car onto the hard compound tyres caused by Schumacher’s engine failing. This reduced the time he spent stationary, bringing him out in fifth.

There was a potential opportunity for Russell to move up into the podium places after the gap between himself and Hamilton closed following a safety car period. However, he could not get the tyres into the right operating temperature window.

He finished the Grand Prix in fourth - remaining the only driver to score points in every race this season, putting him fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.

The former Wisbech Grammar School pupil said that 'fourth place is good points for the team and it’s great to be back on the podium as Mercedes'. Up next is the British Grand Prix on July 1-3.