At the challenging Hungaroring in Budapest, Lando Norris secured pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix under extremely difficult and changing conditions. The British McLaren driver narrowly outperformed his teammate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen in an exciting session. This marks Norris’ second pole of the season, following Spain.
In the shadow of Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen, Sergio Pérez once again did himself a disservice. The Red Bull driver from Mexico crashed his car hard into the tire wall in Q1 of the session, once again due to his own mistake. His position on the team now seems untenable.
Q1: Pérez Crashes His RB20 into the Wall
The qualifying session begins at a ‘mere’ 24 degrees, while it’s still lightly raining after a heavy downpour. The asphalt of the Hungaroring is completely dry in some places, still wet in others, making tire choice crucial for the drivers. However, everyone opts for the slicks (softs).
With more rain on the way, it’s important to set a sharp time on the clock immediately. This creates a busy scene on the short track (4.381 km). After the first fast runs, Lewis Hamilton, the winner of the last GP at Silverstone, leads the pack with 1.17,087. Not much later, Logan Sargeant clumsily but lightly hits the wall, the damage to the American’s Williams car is minimal this time. As it starts to rain harder, it becomes increasingly difficult to improve times in the second part of Q1.
Then suddenly – with just under seven minutes on the clock – a red flag is raised, thanks to Sergio Pérez. The Red Bull driver from Mexico comes out of turn 7 on the wet kerbs and then slides hard off the track. His RB20’s excursion ends hard in the wall. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner watches the replay on the screen, shaking his head. Pérez’s position has been under heavy pressure for some time, but after his umpteenth mistake, it now seems untenable. Of the last seven qualifications, Pérez prematurely ended six (!) times.
Resumption of the Session: Rain Stops and Fast Times are Achieved
Upon resumption of the session, the rain has stopped and fast times can be achieved on the drying track. Daniel Ricciardi takes full advantage, recording the fastest time (1.17,090 UST) with his Visa RB car, closely followed by Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The Alpines (Ocon and Gasly) stay in and pay the price in the form of a double elimination. George Russell also falls in Q1.
The dropouts in Q1 are, in order: Sergio Pérez, George Russell, Guanyu Zhou, Esteban Ocon, and Pierre Gasly.
Q2: Lewis Hamilton Narrowly Escapes Elimination
Max Verstappen kicks off Q2 of the session with three purple sector times and the fastest time at that moment (1.15,770 UST), much to the delight of the Orange Army in the stands. After the first series of fast runs, the three-time world champion from Red Bull tops the timesheet, closely followed by Piastri, Sainz, Alonso, and Norris.
In his second fast run, Norris demonstrates the speed of the McLaren and improves Verstappen’s time to 1.15,540 UST. Hamilton narrowly escapes elimination in Q2. He just manages to advance to the final part of the qualification as the tenth.
The dropouts in Q2 are: Nico Hülkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Alexander Albon, Logan Sargeant, and Kevin Magnussen.
Q3: Norris Wins Battle with Piastri and Verstappen
With the announcement of a new rain shower, Q3 of the qualifying session begins. Therefore, all drivers immediately head out for a final round, knowing they may only get one chance. Pushing to the limit, Verstappen squeezes everything out of his RB20: 1.15,555 UST. Only one driver manages to beat his time: Lando Norris with 1.15,527 UST.
In the second series of fast runs, Norris’s fastest time remains unbeaten. With two minutes to go, Yuki Tsunoda has a heavy crash. He remains unharmed, but his car is severely damaged. This means – after Pérez – the second red flag of the qualification. After the resumption, a number of drivers go out for an extra attempt, but the order at the front does not change anymore.
Therefore, Lando Norris will start from pole position at the Hungarian GP on Sunday, with teammate Piastri next to him on the first starting row. Verstappen starts third, Sainz fourth. Seven-time world champion Hamilton, who secured pole position at the Hungaroring in 2023 and has won there eight times, does not seriously compete in the final of the qualification this time. He ultimately has to settle for the fifth time. Leclerc, Alonso, Stroll, Ricciardo, and Tsunoda complete the top ten.
The race in Hungary was won by Verstappen in the past two years. The Hungarian Grand Prix starts on Sunday at 15.00 UST.