During the Hungarian GP qualifying, a new format called the ‘Alternative Tyre Allocation’ (ATA) was being trialled, which gave drivers 11 sets of slick tires for the race weekend instead of the usual 13. Additionally, drivers had specific compounds allocated for each section of qualifying, with hards in Q1, mediums in Q2, and softs in Q3.
George Russell, the Williams driver, missed out on advancing to Q2 and attributed his Q1 exit to being heavily compromised by other drivers as they positioned themselves for a final flying lap. Instead of referring to the “gentleman’s agreement” that drivers are not supposed to queue cut and hinder each other, Russell blamed his team, Mercedes, for putting him in that situation.
