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‘A total underperformance from everybody’ – Wolff says losing Russell in Q1 ‘not on’ during tough day for Mercedes in Hungary
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Toto Wolff did not hold back in his analysis of Mercedes’ performance during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the team boss stating that the session was a “total underperformance from literally everybody involved here” after George Russell exited in Q1.
Russell had been at risk of elimination in P14 following the first runs in the segment and, when the session resumed after a red flag was thrown owing to a crash for Sergio Perez, the Briton quickly headed out to put a lap in on a damp track amid recent rainfall.
While he did improve, others then bettered their own times and Russell was pushed into the danger zone, meaning that he ended up in P17. He later revealed that he did not have enough fuel to complete a final effort.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the session, Wolff commented on the situation: “That was a total underperformance from literally everybody involved here. Losing a car in Q1 is just not on and [for the] driver-team combination, it just shouldn’t happen and at the end we just didn’t have the pace. [A] very, very disappointing day.”
Lewis Hamilton had topped the timesheets following the opening runs of Q1, and Wolff suggested that Russell should also have put his flying lap in at the same time.
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“I think he should have had the first lap in where Lewis went P1 – he said that was probably taken too easy,” the Team Principal added. “And then the other one, we put the fuel a lap too little in, but that was a different run plan.
“It was fast-slow-fast and he decided to do three fast laps. But overall, I think it’s 70% the team’s mistake on not fuelling him one lap more.”
Hamilton, meanwhile, went on to finish qualifying in P5. Asked if the seven-time world champion may have had an issue – having suggested at the start of the weekend that the car was only two-tenths off – Wolff explained: “No, I think probably the car could have been two-tenths off, but we were going up and down with tyre temperatures and it was tricky to kind of find the middle ground to give him a car that had grip.”
In terms of the drivers’ thoughts on the session, Russell was left blaming himself for his early error in Q1.
“To be in that position in the first place was on me,” the 26-year-old conceded. “I took it easy at the start of Q1 because we thought there was no more rain, so I thought the track was going to get quicker, suddenly it started raining and that lap one was crucial.
Russell left ‘really quite angry with myself’ after Q1 exit in Hungary
“It didn’t matter because the track was quickest at the end, Daniel [Ricciardo] was P1 and we had no fuel to finish the lap, so you know, I’m really quite angry with myself for the beginning – I don’t know how we found ourselves in this position, but we should be out there right now fighting for a top three.
“We all made an error as a team. As I said, it was on me that we were in that position in the first place, but this shouldn’t be happening and yeah – I don’t really know what more to say.”
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As for Hamilton, the 39-year-old was satisfied with his result, particularly after narrowly avoiding the drop zone in Q2 by just one hundredth of a second.
“I think it wasn’t too bad,” Hamilton reflected. “I would have loved to have been higher, but given how it was easy to get knocked out – we nearly got knocked out of Q2 – I’m grateful.
Hamilton: P5 'wasn't too bad' in tricky qualifying session
“I’m just grateful to be there in the mix of the pack, and I think I will have to see what we do tomorrow. I think we’re definitely not quickest. In the cool conditions we’re looking good, but it obviously got warmer and [then] it’s not the case.”
While Hamilton finds himself behind the McLarens as well as the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, the Mercedes driver sounded optimistic when quizzed on whether there was still a shot of a podium come Sunday.
“Yeah, definitely,” Hamilton – who took a long-awaited victory last time out at Silverstone – responded. “We’ll find out how our pace is compared to the others. I think they will be quicker in the race, the McLarens and the Red Bull.
“I think we’re there or thereabouts with the Ferraris, so I think we’ll have a battle with those guys. Obviously I don’t have my team mate, so it’s going to be interesting to see how that… we obviously can’t work together to play a part against the guys around, but he had a difficult session. But we’re doing the best we can and I hope we can progress forwards.”
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