George Russell produced a solid recovery for Mercedes to qualify fourth for the Hungarian GP.
The Briton opened up honestly in parc fermé about the fine margins that made the difference, and a mistake that possibly cost him pole position.
“Always like, what if?” – Russell feels the pain of P4
Starting with a rueful tone, Russell admitted he was haunted by how close he came to pole in a chaotic Q3 at the Hungaroring.
He said, “Yeah, I think it’s always, if you’re P4 and half a tenth off, it’s always like, what if? And I made a bit of a mistake. Really weird session, everybody went so much slower in Q3.”
He conceded his own time dropped by a tenth, whereas most competitors lost significantly more.
The Englishman added, “So, I’m not going to kick myself too much as I went a tenth slower, and the majority went about three or four tenths slower.”
P4 actually marks “a big step forward”
Despite the disappointment of missing pole, Russell underlined that the result was still a major improvement over previous sessions.
“P4 compared to yesterday and this morning is clearly a big step forward.”
He emphasised that Mercedes have made progress, even if Q3 didn’t reflect it.
Changing conditions leave everyone guessing
Russell acknowledged the unpredictability of the session, where winds and surface temperatures disrupted strategy and performance across the field.
The Mercedes driver said, “I think confused is maybe not the right word, just like, you have no idea.
“The track by the end of Q3 was 37 degrees, but 20 minutes before qualifying it was 55 degrees. So, that’s going to play a huge role in our performance,” he continued
Reading the field: no easy path for Mercedes
Russell assessed the shape of the weekend, noting that McLaren had dominated earlier, while Aston Martin had improved unexpectedly.
He said, “I hope I can fight with Charles at least, but the Astons look surprisingly strong too.”
With his four‑tenths gap across Q3, Russell expects the podium fight to be fluid, but realistic about the opposition.
Qualifying in context
Charles Leclerc defied expectations by claiming a surprise pole, his first of the season, benefiting from others losing time at the end of Q3, unlike him. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris narrowly missed P1, with Russell behind them in P4. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso secured P5, and teammate Lance Stroll completing the top six.
