Wolff says Russell’s view is a little rose-tinted: He would have finished second

George Russell was cursing the motorsport gods for not holding off the downpour for a few more seconds at the end of qualifying, as well as his team’s decision to abort his final attempt. The Mercedes driver believed he would have secured pole position had he pushed all the way to the chequered flag. According to his boss Toto Wolff, however, he need not beat himself up, as he would have finished second anyway.

Timing the final attempt before qualifying ends or conditions deteriorate is absolutely crucial to securing a good result. Mercedes, however, got it wrong. From the radar images, they judged that Russell would have time for another lap and instructed their driver to drop back from Alex Albon, whose Williams had begun to hold him up.

Russell was convinced he would have topped qualifying had he kept pushing. According to Toto Wolff, it was not so clear-cut. “You know, if we were to have a crystal ball to know whether you should back off or not, then that would be helpful. A difficult one. It’s a 50-50.”

“But at the end, we’re trying to do our best, he was 80 milliseconds ahead of Norris but in the gearbox of Albon. So I’m not sure we should have aborted the lap, but I think it would have been P2,” was the team principal’s verdict. “But obviously, he’s driven perfectly all session, you know, merited to be on pole.”

He cannot fault the team. Judging from radar images how many tens of seconds remain before the heavens unleash a biblical downpour on the circuit is a complete lottery. “But at the end, we’re trying to do our best, he was 80 milliseconds ahead of Norris but in the gearbox of Albon. So I’m not sure we should have aborted the lap, but I think it would have been P2. But in any case, everybody is trying to their best.”

Russell knew that pole position would not officially be his, but topping qualifying would have soothed his bruised spirits. An internal combustion engine change will drop him five places on the grid. “I don’t know if you get the red Pirelli tyre for pole, or whether it’s actually where you start. You would have done. Yeah, so it’s a shame. No, like I said, he deserved, but you can’t make that call. It’s going to be 50% right or wrong, like I said,” added Wolff.