F1 News: Mercedes Chief Scolds Team After Shocking Hungarian Qualifying 'Underperformance'

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff criticizes his team for a disappointing performance in the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session.

Mercedes

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff labeled the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session a "total underperformance" by his team. Addressing the media post-session, Wolff's frustration was palpable as he dissected a series of mishaps that plagued Mercedes, hindering their prospects in what was expected to be a competitive outing.

The qualifying round saw George Russell, initially a contender for a top spot, relegated to a dismal 17th starting position due to a critical fuelling error.

"That was a total underperformance from literally everybody involved here," Wolff stated grimly. The error was compounded during a crucial lap in Q1 where, owing to low fuel, Russell was unable to complete his run, directly impacting his qualification spot. "[Russell] should have had the first lap in when Lewis went P1. He said that was probably taking it too easy."

Lewis Hamilton, another stalwart of the Mercedes team, fared somewhat better, securing the 5th position. However, his performance was not without its challenges. Hamilton described how changing track conditions affected his run.

"When the session started it was much cooler and we were rapid. As soon as the temperature picked up, others got faster and we got slower - or didn't get any faster at least."

Wolff explained the nuances of the qualifying strategy that backfired, particularly highlighting the team's missteps with Russell.

"It was a different run plan. It was a fast-slow-fast and he [Russell] decided to do three fast laps,” Wolff detailed. He accepted a significant share of the blame on behalf of the team, earmarking it at "70 percent the team's mistake on not fuelling one lap more."

From his end, Russell was reflective and candid about the sequence of events:

"It was a disaster from both aspects. We should have got through comfortably on that last lap, but we had no fuel. That was on me for being in the position in the first place," Russell said. "As a team we made a big error."