Wolff Blasts Mercedes’ ‘Total Underperformance’ in Hungary F1 Qualifying: Russell and Hamilton Struggle

Toto Wolff criticizes Mercedes' Hungary F1 qualifying as a complete letdown

"Essentially, it was a comprehensive letdown by all parties involved."

Toto Wolff expressed his dissatisfaction with Mercedes' approach to the qualifying rounds at the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix, labeling it as a "complete letdown by all parties involved."

Mercedes witnessed George Russell being eliminated in the first qualifying round, marking him as one of the notable early exits during the qualifying session at the Hungaroring.

Initially, Russell had difficulty finding speed, and by the end of the session, when conditions on the track improved, he was no longer present on the circuit.

Across the garage, Lewis Hamilton narrowly made it into Q2 and then clinched the fifth spot on the starting grid for Sunday's competition.

Nonetheless, Wolff appeared visibly frustrated with his team following the qualifying round in Hungary.

"He expressed to Sky, 'It was an absolute letdown by all parties involved. Having a car drop out in Q1 is simply unacceptable."

"The pairing of driver and team shouldn't occur. Ultimately, we lacked speed. It was an extremely disappointing day."

The primary concern arose from the amount of fuel remaining in Russell's car after the session concluded.

Russell was among the initial racers to hit the track following the red flag, but he soon made his way back to the pits.

This indicated that he, along with the two Alpines, were the sole vehicles not participating on the track by the conclusion of Q1.

Wolff clarified that there was a misunderstanding regarding the strategy for Q1's run involving Russell.

"Wolff mentioned, “I believe his initial lap should have been the one where Lewis secured the top position. He admitted that was likely the moment he was too cautious.”

"In the other instance, we didn't add enough fuel, though the strategy was different. It was supposed to be a mix of fast and slow laps, yet he chose to do three quick laps instead. Overall, I'd say the responsibility for not adding an extra lap's worth of fuel lies about 70 percent with the team."

Regarding Hamilton's qualifying performance, he commented: "We might have been able to close the gap by two-tenths, but we were experiencing fluctuations in tyre temperatures, making it challenging to achieve the optimal balance that would provide him with a car that could maintain traction."

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