The Englishman George Russell (Mercedes), who will start first this Sunday at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the thirteenth of the Formula One World Championship, said at the Hungaroring, the circuit on the outskirts of Budapest, that he is “very happy” for having achieved his first pole position in the queen category, but that “the points and the prizes are distributed on Sunday, not on Saturday”.
“I’m in a cloud, but I’m already thinking about tomorrow and the straight to that first corner, because the points and the prizes are distributed on Sunday, not Saturday,” said Russell, born 24 years ago in King’s Lynn ( Norfolk) during the official press conference of the FIA (International Automobile Federation) that took place this Saturday at the Hungaroring.
“I kept getting better and better and when I crossed the finish line and saw that I had set the fastest time it was just incredible,” said Russell after dominating qualifying this Saturday, in which he covered the 4,381 meters of the Hungarian track in one minute, 17 seconds and 377 thousandths, only 44 less than the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who will start second in Hungary: ahead of his teammate, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, who will start third.
“I feel over the moon, I am overwhelmed with joy, because yesterday was a disastrous day for us and probably the worst Friday of the season. But the team did a sensational job tonight and we were able to take a big step forward”, commented Russell, who is fifth in the World Championship, with 143 points, 90 less than the leader, the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and one less than Sainz, who is fourth in the championship.
“In Formula One the margins are minimal and when you reach the perfect window, your car will fly, which is something we managed to do with the conditions today,” said seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton’s new teammate.
“This result is huge for us. I’m really happy for the whole team and we will do our best to give it our all and have another great day tomorrow,” said Russell after taking his first F1 pole on Saturday in Hungary.