• Hungarian Grand Prix

Strategy cost us fifth - Webber

Mark Webber: "We were hoping that people would be in a bit more trouble at the end with the tyres" © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Hungarian Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Mark Webber

• Teams:
• Red Bull

Mark Webber said he lost three places at the Hungarian Grand Prix by adopting a three-stop strategy towards the end of the race.

Webber started 11th on the grid and finished eighth, but was running fifth before his final pit stop. After starting on the medium tyres, Webber was on softs towards the end of the race but said he opted to pit in the belief that the tyres on the cars around him would drop off before the end of the race.

"We were hoping that people would be in a bit more trouble at the end with the tyres," he said. "That's where we lost the three positions so fifth place was there. I was thinking of staying out, obviously we had a nice cushion and the lap times were going pretty well, but we've had plenty of instances this year where people's [tyres] drop off a cliff.

"In the end the strategy didn't really work out, we lost three places through trying something different. Also, overtaking is very difficult so you need bad tyres for the other guys in the last sector so you can line them up. I was quicker, I just couldn't get the job done."

Webber is still second in the drivers' championship but has now dropped 40 points off championship leader Fernando Alonso.

"We've got work to do and we've had a little bit of friendly fire between ourselves," he said. "But we still have good points and we're still looking good for the rest of the year. Fernando grabbed a few more today but it was a disappointing grand prix from our qualifying [onwards]."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.