DHL FASTEST LAP AWARD

George Russell rounds off recovery in Hungary with DHL Fastest Lap

After the great successes of the last few races, the Hungarian GP was a relatively sobering experience for Mercedes. Although Lewis Hamilton at least secured another podium, George Russell had to settle for a modest eighth place in a Grand Prix that had already been severely compromised by Saturday’s quali. He did, however, have the consolation prize of the DHL Fastest Lap.

Because of light drizzle in the first round of qualifying, Mercedes and Russell initially took a cautious approach. Russell’s first attempt at a fast lap was half-hearted, which made him vulnerable for the rest of the session. After a red flag, he then needed to get back out on track, but despite more than six minutes remaining on the clock, the team did not put enough fuel in his tank for him to drive through to the end of Q1.

As a result, Russell had to park up in the garage early and watch helplessly as the rest of the field battled it out in Q2 and Q3. From a lowly 17th place on Sunday’s grid, damage limitation was the only option. Russell started on hard tires in order to outmaneuver the early-stopping midfield with an alternative overcut strategy, which worked out well.

However, he lost out to his nearest rival Sergio Perez, who had also started from the back of the field. Russell overtook the Red Bull on the first lap, but he later lost the position again due to an undercut. Russell’s attempt to catch up with the Red Bull driver in the final stint on fresher tires earned him the DHL Fastest Lap (1:20.305) and the bonus point, but not the position.

“We knew after yesterday’s issues in qualifying that we were likely aiming for ‘best of the rest’ today,” said Russell after the race. “We struggle a little more in these very hot conditions, so we weren’t quite able to achieve that. The Red Bull of Sergio Perez was quicker than we expected, but we gave it a good go to get ahead of him. Getting P8 and fastest lap was still a solid recovery.”