Norris Claims Pole in Dramatic Qualifying
Lando Norris of McLaren secured his first pole position of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, narrowly beating Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton by 0.012 seconds. The qualifying session in Budapest concluded with a dramatic finale, marked by a spin from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the final corner. Norris’s pole position is his 17th career pole and his first since the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November last year. This achievement follows a weekend where McLaren introduced a significant upgrade package to their car.
Hamilton initially held the fastest time after the first runs in Q3, being just over 0.1 seconds ahead of Norris. However, neither Hamilton nor his teammate Charles Leclerc could improve on their subsequent attempts. Norris, who had previously taken a sprint pole in Miami, capitalized on his final lap to clinch the top spot. He expressed satisfaction with the result, noting that his laps in Q3 were not his best but was pleasantly surprised to be on top, especially at a track where pole position is highly desired.
The incident involving Verstappen’s spin affected Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, who were forced to slow down. Antonelli ultimately finished fourth, while Russell ended up seventh. Verstappen managed to recover and secure sixth place, ahead of Russell and Isack Hadjar of Red Bull, Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, and Nico Hulkenberg of Audi.
Investigations and Team Progress
Both Hamilton and Antonelli are under investigation and face potential grid penalties. Hamilton is being investigated for allegedly impeding McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at Turn One after completing his final lap. Antonelli is facing scrutiny for a potential yellow-flag infringement, as he may not have slowed sufficiently when approaching the yellow flags signaling Verstappen’s spin. Piastri, Norris’s teammate, finished fifth in qualifying.
Russell’s session also saw challenges, as his Mercedes experienced a water leak on his in-lap at the end of qualifying. He was instructed to pull over immediately after crossing the line to prevent engine damage. Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal, commented that both Antonelli and Russell were unlucky, with Russell’s water leak being a particular issue. Antonelli noted that the team was slightly out of the window with tires initially but made a good step in Q3, making the car feel more responsive. He also expressed regret over the yellow flags, suggesting that a P3 finish might have been possible.
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin showed encouraging progress, making it out of the first qualifying session (Q1) for the first time this season with their updated car. Alonso will start 16th, which is 2.8 seconds off pole position. Despite the starting position, this represents a significant improvement in relative pace, being two seconds faster than previous performances. Alonso mentioned feeling relieved and optimistic about the team’s understanding of the car’s weaknesses, viewing this as a step in the right direction. He also acknowledged the impact of technical partner Adrian Newey, expressing confidence in the team’s future success, though he questioned the timeline for achieving it.
The Hungaroring track surface presented difficulties for all drivers, particularly in the final two corners, where Norris noted it was challenging to judge grip levels. The race is scheduled to begin on Sunday at 2pm BST.
Top 10 Qualifying Results
The top ten qualifiers for the Hungarian Grand Prix are as follows:
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:17.207
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.012
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.238
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.272
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.477
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.518
- George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.533
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +0.649
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – +1.074
- Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – +1.479
Source: bbc.com
