Mercedes endured a very mixed qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, with the side having one car at either end of the grid.
Lewis Hamilton claimed a shock pole position at the Hungaroring whilst George Russell was embarrassingly eliminated in Q1, with the 25-year-old set to start Sunday’s race from 18th as a result.
Russell was left frustrated with the Silver Arrows after being released onto the circuit amongst traffic, something which cost him.
The King’s Lynn-born driver had to jostle for track position as he approached the start of his final push lap, with several drivers having attempted to get into an ideal spot ahead of their lap.
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Mercedes were labelled as “amateur” after Russell’s elimination by a fan, who slammed the side.
“Mercedes is just an amateur operation these days,” said @F1_Jordan on Twitter.
Russell too expressed his frustration with Mercedes’ Q1 strategy, as the driver was annoyed to have been so “out of sync” with everybody else.
He ultimately didn’t understand why the team decided to take “so many risks” in Q1, something they didn’t need to do with their package.
“We were fast. The car felt great. The whole session we were out of sync with everybody. I got overtaken by four cars going into the last corner, starting my lap, one of which was [Pierre] Gasly,” Russell told Sky Sports F1.
“I was three tenths down before I got to Turn 1, the tyres were nowhere and it was totally normal that we went slower and didn’t make it through.
“Really disappointed. We didn’t need to take so many risks. We went out for one lap at the end, one of the few cars that did that.
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“The car was more than quick enough to get to Q2 and Q3. It’s rare we make these mistakes. You get what you deserve if you don’t do things right.”
Russell now has a mountain to climb on Sunday should he wish to finish on the podium, a feat he achieved last season.
A podium was a realistic target for him 12 months ago though, as he started on pole for the first time in his F1 career.