Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has absolved George Russell of responsibility for the botched start which dropped him from sixth on the grid to 20th place at the first corner of the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The car appeared to be responding to inputs correctly on its way to the grid as Russell followed the tyre-warming instructions relayed to him by engineer Marcus Dudley, including a final set of burn-outs as he approached his slot. But in the final moments of the start procedure, Russell appeared to lose control of the engine revs and the car stuttered away from the line as he released the clutch.