Key events
F1 is not a happy camp these days.
Nor was it a surprise, pre-race predictions from drivers proving all too prescient. With two sectors of long straights and little chance to harvest, the cars were energy starved, reducing the middle sector to internal combustion engine power only, effectively half of their potential output. It meant the cars were so down on power that corners such as Pouhon, an exquisite test of risk and reward, of seeing quite how far a car could be pushed, were now barely worth a consideration.
Read Giles Richards’ qualifying report.
Norris took the top spot for McLaren by one-hundredth of a second from Hamilton’s Ferrari, but the latter’s place on the front row remained in doubt, as he was under investigation by the FIA.
Hamilton said he had been informed by the team that Piastri was closing on him only when the McLaren was already right behind him and that he did not know anyone was still on a hot lap behind him. Nonetheless, after qualifying, the stewards ruled he was at fault and imposed the grid penalty.
Max Verstappen, starting in fourth, speaks: “I don’t really know where we where we stand, all right, like how competitive, of course, we can be.
“I’m starting a little bit further ahead because of penalties of others, but, um, yeah, I don’t know. I mean, hopefully, of course, we get positively surprised in the race.”
He remains unimpressed by his Red Bull car,
Drivers’ standings before the Hungarian GP
1 Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹Mercedes 204pts
2 Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 Ferrari 159
3 George Russell 🇬🇧 Mercedes 154
4 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨Ferrari 126
5 Lando Norris 🇬🇧McLaren 103
6 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺McLaren 92
7 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱Red Bull 91
8 Isack Hadjar 🇫🇷Red Bull 60
9 Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷Alpine 42
10 Liam Lawson 🇳🇿Racing Bulls 39
11 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧Racing Bulls 22
12 Franco Colapinto 🇦🇷Alpine 19
13 Oliver Bearman 🇬🇧Haas 18
14 Gabriel Bortoleto 🇧🇷Audi 10
15 Carlos Sainz 🇪🇸Williams 6
16 Alexander Albon 🇹🇭Williams 5
17 Esteban Ocon 🇫🇷Haas 3
18 Fernando Alonso 🇪🇸Aston Martin 1
– Alexander Albon 🇹🇭Williams
– Lance Stroll 🇨🇦Aston Martin
– Valtteri Bottas 🇫🇮Cadillac
– Sergio Pérez 🇲🇽Cadillac
Preamble
The last GP until the summer break, and it’s back to a time-honoured track in the Hungaroring, it being 40 years since the first Formula One race behind the old Iron Curtain was held in 1986. The winner back then was Nelson Piquet, and the last two winners have been McLarens in Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who takes pole this time around. Saturday’s qualifying was eventful, with three-placed penalties for the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli.
HUNGARIAN GP GRID
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After Hamilton and Antonelli penalties
1 Lando Norris 🇬🇧McLaren 1:17.207
2 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨Ferrari 1:17.445
3 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺McLaren 1:17.684
4 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱Red Bull 1:17.725
5 *Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧Ferrari 1:17.219
6 George Russell 🇬🇧Mercedes 1:17.760
7 **Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹Mercedes 1:17.479
8 Isack Hadjar 🇫🇷Red Bull 1:17.760
9 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧Racing Bulls 1:18.281
10 Nico Hülkenberg 🇩🇪Audi 1:18.686
11 Liam Lawson 🇳🇿Racing Bulls 1:18.765
12 Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷Alpine 1:18.844
13 Franco Colapinto 🇦🇷Alpine 1:19.027
14 Gabriel Bortoleto 🇧🇷Audi 1:19.105
15 Esteban Ocon 🇫🇷Haas 1:19.734
16 Fernando Alonso 🇪🇸Aston Martin 1:19.808
17 Oliver Bearman 🇬🇧Haas 1:20.233
18 Carlos Sainz 🇪🇸Williams 1:20.621
19 Alexander Albon 🇹🇭Williams 1:20.658
20 Lance Stroll 🇨🇦Aston Martin 1:20.659
21 Valtteri Bottas 🇫🇮Cadillac 1:20.886
22 Sergio Pérez 🇲🇽Cadillac 1:21.322*Three-place penalty for impeding Piastri in qualifying
**Three-place penalty for not slowing under yellow flags in qualifying
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