George Russell is targeting back-to-back pole positions at the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, 12 months on from his first Formula 1 pole.
Russell defeated reigning World Champion Max Verstappen and both Ferrari drivers to pole at the Hungaroring last season, in what was his first qualifying P1 at the pinnacle of motorsport.
At last season’s Hungarian GP, Sergio Perez was eliminated in Q2 whilst Verstappen had issues with his car, leaving Russell with just his team-mate and the Ferrari’s to beat.
He did just that, before finishing the race in third.
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Russell was beaten on the Sunday by Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who finished first and second respectively.
Whilst the 25-year-old is “pushing” for a second consecutive pole at the Hungarian venue, he’s not expected to do so.
Verstappen is the clear favourite once again for pole position on Saturday, in what would be his sixth in a row this season.
The championship leader is also, unsurprisingly, the favourite for Sunday’s race, which would mark seven consecutive wins if he’s victorious once again.
A podium should be a realistic target for Russell though, given that Mercedes have high hopes for their new front wing.
The Silver Arrows introduced a new front wing at the British Grand Prix, with it having performed very well in the slow-speed corners.
Due to the fact that the Hungaroring is made up of predominantly slow-speed corners, Mercedes are quietly optimistic that the W14 could perform very well.
Defeating Red Bull is still likely a step too far though, with the RB19 being imperious at all circuits no matter the conditions.
Nevertheless, Russell has high hopes for the weekend ahead and is keen to “keep on progressing”.
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“I’ll be pushing for it for sure,” Russell said in the pre-weekend drivers’ press conference.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what the weekend’s going to hold. It’s been an interesting few races with our performance in Austria, then really quite strong in Silverstone.
“We’re still battling forward and still really focused to keep on progressing. We’re in a good position, but we need to try and stay ahead of our competitors.”