P1racenews AI automatic summary:
George Russell endured a disastrous session on Friday at Spa-Francorchamps with an early sprint qualifying exit.
George Russell suggested that gravel deposited on the Spa-Francorchamps track by his team-mate Kimi Antonelli may have caused his early exit from sprint qualifying. Antonelli failed to advance past the first segment of qualifying on Friday, finishing 20th. Russell encountered the gravel on his lap after Antonelli’s incident, impacting his performance in both Q1 and Q2. Mercedes’ Andrew Shovlin confirmed that Kimi’s spin and the subsequent damage to the car’s floor likely contributed to their disappointing performance in sprint qualifying. Despite the setback, the team will analyze the situation to determine if there were any alternative strategies that could have enabled better results.
