Mercedes
There were mixed fortunes at Mercedes in Budapest, with Russell impressing with a late charge up the timing sheets. Antonelli had looked the faster of the two in FP3, but as the rain fell in Q2, Mercedes sent him out on used tyres. His banker lap time was not quick enough and he had to go again – only to lose his second lap time to track limits, although it still would not have been enough to make Q3. Considering he still had two sets of fresh tyres, it looked to be a strategic mistake from the Silver Arrows. But Russell’s experience came to the fore as he took advantage of the rapidly cooling conditions to grab fourth on the grid, just half a tenth from pole.
George Russell, 4th, 1:15.425
“It’s always frustrating to come so close to pole but not quite manage to grab it. With that said, I would have taken being just 0.05s off P1 in qualifying ahead of the weekend. Pole position was definitely in reach today. I made a mistake which cost me a tenth and without that, we would have been looking at the front-row. My final Q3 lap was also not my best lap of the session so there was more pace on the table.
“We saw today how big a factor the changing weather conditions and temperature were. It is likely that will also be something we see in tomorrow’s race. It’s been encouraging to see the step forward we have taken following the changes we’ve made here too. That, and starting from the second row, should provide us with an opportunity to fight for the podium tomorrow. It will likely be an interesting battle.”
Kimi Antonelli, 15th, 1:15.782
“I’ve felt much more confidence in the car and in myself this weekend. I felt good going into qualifying and Q1 went smoothly. It is annoying and frustrating therefore to get knocked out in Q2. I came out of the final corner to start my last lap and felt less grip with the rear tyres than on my previous effort. That became worse throughout the lap so it’s likely we were a bit too hot on the tyre temperatures. We definitely had the pace to get through to Q3 and fight near the front of the grid. We will need to look through the data and understand how we can improve next time.
“Tomorrow is a new day though and we will explore how we can fight back into the points. The weather forecast is mixed, and we will be prepared for all scenarios. We had good pace on our long run in FP2 and hopefully we can use that to good effect.”
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“We are both pleased and frustrated after Saturday in Budapest. Pleased with the step we have made with the car here this weekend but frustrated knowing that P4 and P15 doesn’t accurately reflect the pace we’ve shown.
“George looked like he was going to take pole position on his last lap in Q3. Unfortunately, a small snap of oversteer cost him some time and that left him P4, despite only being 0.05s slower than the Ferrari of Leclerc. Starting from the second row gives us a good opportunity to fight for the podium tomorrow though.
“For Kimi, it was a more difficult session. He has rebuilt his confidence with the car in practice and continued that into Qualifying. Unfortunately, he fell just the wrong side of a tight bunch in Q2 and that stopped him from fighting nearer the front like George. Whilst he is understandably disappointed, the step forward he has taken here in Hungary is pleasing. We will look to help him battle through the field tomorrow and get into the points.”
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
“We have made progress with the car this weekend and that showed today in our qualifying performance. We looked competitive from Q1 and were able to extract lap time in those earlier stages when the track temp was near 50°C, but also in the final moments of Q3 when it was 15°C cooler. It is therefore frustrating that our headline positions of P4 and P15 don’t necessarily accurately reflect that overall level of performance. With Kimi, he was unlucky to get caught out in Q2, but he can be encouraged by the step forward he has taken here in Hungary. For George, but for a moment of oversteer in turn one, he could have been looking at P1.
“Despite coming away frustrated today, the points are scored tomorrow. Overtaking is not easy here but with the usual levels of tyre degradation we see here, there are still opportunities to make progress. With George, it will be a challenge to fight for the podium given we have two McLarens ahead but that is certainly our intention. On Kimi’s side, we will look to use the solid pace we have seen from him here to gain positions and fight for a decent points haul.”