George Russell was disappointed after failing to leave Q1 in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix for the first time this season – and will start the Hungaroring race in P17, one place ahead of teammate Nicholas Latifi.
Hungary had seen Williams’ strongest performance in qualifying in 2020 when both Russell and Latifi made it into the second quarter. But none of the drivers was able to reach the second segment of qualifying this year. Russell ended his flawless record of surviving Q1 that season – and also finished a streak of two races in which he’d made it in Q3 – as Latifi claimed he’d been hampered by a power supply problem.
QUALIFICATION: Hamilton roars into the Hungarian pole position when Bottas starts in the front row of Verstappen
“Of course I’m not that happy because it is the first time that we have not entered Q2 in the entire season, on a track that I thought would be our best chance for points,” said Russell after the Qualifying baffled.
“Before the weekend, I thought Q2 was going to be a breeze. And then for some reason I didn’t have the rhythm I had on other tracks. [It’s] The first time we didn’t make it into the second quarter, so we can’t get it right every time. “
George Russell disappointed to miss Q2 on the Hungaroring
Urged on why he couldn’t get the most out of his FW43B, Russell – who was nicknamed “Mr Saturday” for his strong qualifications – replied, “I’m not entirely sure. I mean, it’s definitely windier and gustier than the last four events, which definitely doesn’t work in our favor.
READ MORE: Sainz blames the sudden increase in wind speed for the “mysterious” crash in the second quarter
“It’s fine margins,” he added. “Usually I go into qualifying and I’m in a groove and can just pull out the lap and today, when I crossed the finish line, I knew it just wasn’t right for me. I didn’t have that good feeling, the right rhythm with the car, with the tires, and I knew it wasn’t good enough and usually it’s just a lot easier for me.
“And when I then go to Q2, I can take another step up from there. But yes, one of those things and we look to tomorrow. “
Russell said he knew his lap wasn’t good enough in the first quarter
Russell might have had a chance to make it in Q2 in the meantime if he hadn’t limited himself to driving just two sets of soft tires instead of the three that the Alfa Romeo drivers used in Q1, which both Kimi Raikkonen and Kimi Raikkonen did Antonio resulted in Giovinazzi drivers in Q2.
And he admitted that an “all or nothing” approach could have cost him as he prepared for a “difficult” Sunday afternoon on the Hungaroring.
READ MORE: Facts & Stats on GP qualifying in Hungary – Historic eighth pole for Hamilton matches his idol’s record
“The Alfa Romeo drivers made three sets of tires,” said Russell. “If we had three sets of tires, we would have made it into Q2, but in Q2 we would have had fewer chances of making it into Q3. It depends on how you play your cards. I don’t want to sit on the fence – I want to put everything on the table and that’s why we decided to just use the two new sets of tires and really try in Q2 to get into Q3.
“It’s going to be a tough race because it’s so hot here and the tires will be very difficult to handle,” added Russell. “Hopefully we can do a better job than the others and take advantage of all opportunities.”
The post “I thought the second quarter would be a breeze” – Rueful Russell is considering the first exit in Hungary in the first quarter of 2021 first appeared on monter-une-startup.
