Russell: “Feels like I’ve taken pole”

George Russell stood out during qualifying for the Hungarian GP. The rookie took 16th position at the Hungaroring, equaling his best performance compared to Baku (Azerbaijan). The Briton fought for Q2 and ultimately finished 17th. The pilot Williams subsequently gained a position with Antonio Giovinazzi's penalty (Alfa Romeo).

“It’s not my best ride ever. F1 but my best lap in a Williams, commented the Briton. I had the feeling that the car was coming to life. Before this weekend, we had the feeling that we had not managed to get the tires into the correct tire window. We decided to change our approach by trying different things. »

“These tires are very tricky to manage. When they are working optimally, you are behind the wheel of a completely different car. Beyond the tires, this performance highlights the work carried out by the aerodynamicists at the factory to resolve the problems encountered over the past two years. The efforts paid off because we saw a big step in performance and we still have solutions in the pipeline for later in the season. It was a big relief for everyone at the factory.”, he added.

Could George Russell have secured a place in Q2 with his Williams which remains the car the worst performer on the board?

“I might have gone a bit faster but I found myself close to Leclerc in the middle sector and the level of grip on the track is constantly evolving. But it's the same for everyone. This is the most notable performance for us this season in qualifying.", admitted the rookie.

The Williams driver still has reason to rejoice since he beat his much more experienced teammate Robert Kubica by 1”3.

“These tires are very complex, he explained after a long pause to try to justify the gulf between the FW42s. Last week I think I had a fair lap at Hockenheim and there was a tenth between us. Today's lap was certainly better but I'm not sure it was 1"3 faster than Robert's attempt. Haas was very vocal about its problems in the operation of tires. We suffered from the same problem without really knowing it... You only have two attempts in Q1, the level of grip is constantly evolving, as are the weather conditions. You have to adapt so much. It’s a bit of a shame, actually, when I see the resources that are invested to understand how the tire works. »

George Russell is now aiming for his first F1 points after his Polish teammate finished in the Top 10 last week in Germany.

“From Free Practice 3, I felt that the potential was there. My turn was not very far from our competitors. Finish 16th in the regular standings, ahead of Racing Point and Ricciardo, I feel like I took pole position, he admitted. On paper, this is one of the tracks where it is the hardest to overtake. It will be cool to fight with other cars on merit. That said, I would be surprised to see a lot of action on track. I'm not a hothead. If there is an opportunity at the start, I will take it but I will not try to force things. »