George Russell admits he “could have done better” after dropping to third place in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Starting from his first pole position in Formula 1, the Briton held the lead in the first stint but was overhauled first by Charles Leclerc and then Max Verstappen, who used strategy to undercut the Mercedes.
While Leclerc slipped back to P6, it would be teammate Lewis Hamilton on soft tyres as light rain began to fall who demoted Russell to the bottom step of the podium as Verstappen claimed victory.
“I had a really strong start, and it was a first good stint,” he summarised.
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“We pitted quite early on both stints and tried to keep the tyres out until the end, as well as pushing as fast as possible at the same time, a bit of a challenging position to be in.
“When it started spitting at the beginning and we were on the soft tyres, I thought we were on [for the win],” he admitted.
“Then towards the end, on the mediums with the rain coming down, really struggled and lost a bit of temperature.”
Despite the slight disappointment of not converting pole into victory, Russell is optimistic more opportunities will come after the summer break
“Pleased to have come away with a podium,” he insisted. “Amazing job by the team – pole position yesterday, double podium.
What a weekend for this man! ? First pole, a podium finish and some brilliant battles on track ? Lots to be proud of, @GeorgeRussell63 pic.twitter.com/BUVfaot9hd
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 31, 2022
“I’m sure there’s a lot I’ll look over and could have done better, but we’re definitely making progress, so really proud of the work everybody’s done.
“It’s been an incredibly intense start to the season, and I think the break will do everybody good,” he added.
“Come back for the second half of the season, reset, refocus, and try and fight for some victories!”
