Incredible Double-Points Finish For Williams In Hungary!

Nicholas Latifi finished 8th and George Russell 9th in a chaotic Hungarian Grand Prix to give the embattled Williams team a double-points finish, vaulting them ahead of both Haas and Alfa Romeo and up to eighth in the 2021 Formula 1 Constructor’s Championship standings.

Russell started the race 17th and Latifi 18th, both on the intermediate Pirelli tyre. Both made impressive starts, with Latifi making up 12 places to P6 and Russell up nine to P8.

Following the Red Flag, both drivers changed from the intermediate compound to the medium tyre on the formation lap ahead of the restart.

Nicholas Latifi

‘It is an amazing result for the team, and I am so happy for us. The team has been knocking on the door of points for a few races now, so to get both cars in the points and to move up to P8 in the championship is amazing. The race from my side was very tough to manage, obviously the start in the first corner was what sealed it for me. We struggled in qualifying yesterday, so to come away with a result like this is better than anything we could have hoped for. Overall, it is a really nice way to head into the summer break.’

George Russell

‘I’m so happy for everyone and I’m a bit lost for words. It was an incredible race. My final stint was probably the best of my whole career as I was fighting like crazy, fending off Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. I’m just so pleased for everyone because it’s been a big slog over the last two-and-a-half years for me, and three-and-a-half years for the team, so these points are really deserved. Really well done to Nicholas too, he made an amazing start and drove a really great race. Finishing eighth and ninth, we couldn’t really have done much more today.’

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance

‘Today, a small amount of rain caused a big swing in fortunes for the field. We obviously benefited, not least from the crashes at the initial race start. However, the Team made the most of the situation and made good decisions throughout the race. Both drivers managed their pace, their cars and their tyres expertly and both were calm and confident throughout. Although we ultimately lost some places to faster cars, we are nonetheless very happy with the result. Finishing on the lead lap and in relatively dry conditions meant that we had to work hard to manage the fuel, but this was done well and in conjunction with the tyre management.

‘Whilst we were a bit fortunate today, the result is due to a huge amount of work at the track and the factory and the ability to put into practise everything that we have learned as a Team over the last few seasons. We can now begin our preparations for Belgium before taking some time off. When we return, we will attack the second part of the season with renewed confidence.’