George Russell will start fourth on the grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix after a mistake at Turn 14 during qualifying cost him a shot at pole position. The Mercedes driver believes that without this error, he would have led the field on race day.
During Q3, sudden changes in weather—specifically a drop in track temperature and shifting gusts of wind—affected drivers’ lap times. While Charles Leclerc was the only one to improve his time from Q2, Russell’s error at Turn 14 cost him approximately three-tenths of a second, enough to drop him behind his rivals.
Qualifying Session Disrupted by Shifting Weather Conditions
The Hungarian GP qualifying was marked by an unusual change in weather between Q2 and Q3. Track temperatures fell rapidly as a storm system approached, and the winds became gustier and altered direction unpredictably. These conditions made Q3 particularly challenging for all teams.
Leclerc managed to maintain or improve his pace slightly, while other contenders, including Russell, saw slower lap times compared to Q2. These factors contributed to a disrupted session where no driver managed a perfect run.
Russell Reflects on the Impact of Wind at Turn 14
Russell accepted responsibility for the mistake that occurred at Turn 14 during his flying lap, where the changing wind conditions reduced his downforce and caught him off guard. He explained the significance of this particular corner affected by gusts, which was markedly different from earlier parts of qualifying.
“The wind had shifted a lot. The wind was gustier,” Russell said regarding the conditions impacting his performance.
“But that’s the reality. I should have reacted, and that’s what cost me today.” —George Russell, Mercedes driver
Despite his error, Russell noted that every driver faced issues during Q3 and many would have their own reasons for missing out on pole position.
“But you speak with every driver, they’ll give you a reason why they missed pole, because no one did their personal best in Q3.” —George Russell, Mercedes driver
Context on Mercedes’ Recent Upgrades and Performance Variability
Russell’s comments also highlighted Mercedes’ ongoing struggles with car performance fluctuations linked to recent technical changes. The team introduced new suspension parts in Barcelona, but after poor showings, especially at Spa, reverted to previous settings.
Reflecting on the complexity of Formula 1 car development, Russell described the challenges involved in verifying upgrades across circuits with differing characteristics and weather conditions.
“Barcelona, Imola, they’re all very hot race weekends. We believe that was our root cause, and it still is a big factor of our limitation, but clearly in Spa, we were very underwhelming, and clearly the suspension was not an upgrade.” —George Russell, Mercedes driver
He admitted that the recent period had been difficult for confidence in the car but saw Hungary as a tentative improvement.
“It’s definitely been a bit challenging recently. I haven’t felt awfully confident in the car recently,”
“Of course, today P4, so back in our normal position.”
Competitive Landscape and What Lies Ahead
Russell also noted McLaren’s dominant weekend pace outside of Q3, emphasizing that their performance remains strong despite their qualifying results.
“So they’re gonna still be the runaway force.” —George Russell, Mercedes driver
Looking forward, Mercedes will likely continue refining their car setup to overcome inconsistency issues, while Russell aims to capitalize on his strong starting position despite missed pole opportunity. The Hungarian Grand Prix remains a critical testing ground for the team’s upgrades and race pace under variable conditions.