Hungarian GP Qualifying. Lewis Hamilton claims record pole position ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
A sneeze takes longer then the margin of difference between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s qualifying times as Hamilton out paces Verstappen by 0.003s to claim first pole since December 2021 while Lando Norris sits third for McLaren.
Hamilton produced a stunning final qualifying lap to snatch pole position away from Verstappen at the Hungarian GP in the closing seconds.
Hamilton produced a 1:16.609 with his final effort to claim pole by just 0.003s after Verstappen had been unable to improve on his initial provisional pole time.
It gives Hamilton a record ninth pole position at the Hungarian GP and his first since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP, 33 races ago.
Hamilton’s former title rival Verstappen will line up second having been denied a sixth consecutive pole by the barest of margins.
“It’s been a crazy year and a half,” said Hamilton. “I’ve lost my voice from shouting so much in the car! It’s amazing that feeling. I feel so grateful to be up here because the team have worked so hard. We have been pushing so hard over this time to get pole. It feels like the first time.”
Max Verstappen expressed some frustration after qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, explaining that he has “struggled the whole weekend” to find a comfortable feeling with his Red Bull around the Hungaroring.
Verstappen arrived in Budapest with seven pole positions from 10 rounds but had to settle for second on the grid this time out.
“We have not performed the way we should be performing all weekend, it has been really difficult to get the most out of the car,” said Verstappen. “I was struggling with putting the balance together, front to rear. We tried a lot of different things in terms of set-up but it didn’t really work. When you are struggling in qualifying you can only try one or two things and then when you really push you fall out of the window again. My second lap in Q3 I tried to push a bit more and the car wasn’t there. I think our upgrades worked but that didn’t really show. The balance I had in qualifying won’t necessarily be a bad thing for tomorrow. Everything in the race is a lot calmer and more stable, whereas in qualifying you really push it to the limit on the balance and can feel more issues. Our long run looks competitive so that is positive. It is still going to be tough to get in front but if we are better on tires then I predict a good race. Nothing is lost, we have a good race car and it will be a good battle with them tomorrow.”
Lando Norris will start third on Sunday and was just 0.085s off Hamilton’s pole time, and team-mate Oscar Piastri will start fourth as McLaren locked out the second row after another strong qualifying for the second race in a row.
Carlos Sainz had lined up alongside Russell on the front row last year but the Ferrari driver will start 11th on Sunday after missing out on a place in Q3 by 0.002s.
Sainz was knocked out by team-mate Charles Leclerc, who will start sixth between the two Alfa Romeos as Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas impressed to take fifth and seventh respectively.
Sergio Perez ended his run of missing out on Q3, but was unable to ever be in contention for pole and will start ninth, behind Fernando Alonso and ahead of Nico Hulkenberg.
Daniel Ricciardo will start 13th on his F1 return as he outqualified AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, who exited in Q1 and will start 17th.
While Hamilton will line up in P1, Mercedes team-mate George Russell – last year’s pole sitter – starts 18th after being the big-name exit of Q1.
Formula 1 to race in Hungary until 2032
Before the qualifying began today, Formula 1 announced that the Hungarian Grand Prix will remain on the calendar for an additional five years until 2032, extending the existing deal that ran until 2027. The new agreement follows an announcement that the Hungaroring will undergo significant development and refurbishment in the coming years, including a new pit building and main grandstand.
Located just 20km outside the historic city of Budapest, the iconic 4.38km Hungaroring has been part of the F1 calendar since 1986, with many legends of the sport claiming victory at the circuit, including Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, who won four and three Hungarian Grands Prix respectively.
Five of the 2023 grid have been victorious at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton holding a record eight wins, while this season Fernando Alonso will celebrate 20 years since he claimed his first ever win in Formula 1 at the circuit in 2003. The returning Daniel Ricciardo won in 2014, while Esteban Ocon claimed his maiden victory in 2021, and Max Verstappen will be looking to make it back-to-back wins this year after his success last season.