Russell delighted with podium return in Hungary after ‘dicey’ battle with Leclerc

George Russell was “really happy” to come out on top in a risky battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the late stages of the Hungarian Grand Prix, earning himself his first podium finish since he took victory in Canada.

The cooler track conditions seen in Qualifying played directly into Mercedes’ hands and helped the Briton to secure fourth position on the grid – this, combined with the team reverting to an old set-up, meant that Russell was able to end the session half a tenth behind polesitter Charles Leclerc.

Making the most of his strong Qualifying result, he took advantage of Lando Norris’ unsuccessful challenge on Oscar Piastri, surging past the McLaren to claim P3 on the opening lap of the race.

Although Norris was able to overtake him later on – with the two avoiding a scuffle as Russell peeled off into the pits – the Mercedes driver kept up the charge, overtaking Leclerc for the final podium spot with eight laps remaining.

Asked if he was proud of the result, Russell said: “Yeah, really happy with the race today. Obviously yesterday Qualifying was a bit of a surprise… this whole weekend has been a bit surprising for everyone, but I’m so happy to be back on the podium.

“It was a bit dicey with Charles at some point!”

Leclerc did not hide his frustration over the radio after he lost the race lead to McLaren’s alternative strategy, especially as his performance seemed to decline drastically in the last stint of the race due to an issue with the chassis.

This irritation came to a head when Russell got into the DRS zone of the Ferrari and launched himself down the inside of Turn 1, with Leclerc fiercely defending and prompting the Briton to complain that he moved under braking.

Russell tried again at the start of Lap 62 and managed to squeeze through amid some more risky defending from Leclerc, which resulted in a five-second time penalty for the Ferrari.

“It’s one of those when you sort of commit to a bit of a divebomb, if the driver in front moves, you’re already right on the limit of grip and there’s not much room for manoeuvre,” Russell said after the race.

“I think we made contact on the second time, but just glad to get through it. It’s a nice way to go into the break.

“It’s definitely better than the races we’ve had so far, so I’m really pleased with that.”