Heading into the final grand prix before the summer shut down, competition is as fierce as ever. Going into this weekend, McLaren remains streaks ahead, with Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull competing to be best of the rest. Ferrari currently lead that pack, settling in second place behind McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship. The team recently cemented their current team direction, extending Fred Vasseur’s contract to continue his time as Team Principle.
With so many slow and medium speed corners, track evolution affects laps times massively at this track. Weather also played a roll in this qualifying session, as cloud cover caused track temperatures to drop in the middle of Q1. Overall, the lower temperature was a positive for teams, especially Mercedes who run best when the track is cooler.
Williams decided to get out straight away, with McLaren following suit. Carlos Sainz had a subpar first run, having issues in several corners. By the time all teams were out on track, Williams topped the timesheets, however. They quickly dropped down the order as other cars completed their first fast laps. A few drivers had trips into the gravel, suggesting that their tyres were lacking traction at those corners. As more lap times rolled in, early runners were being pushed further and further down the order. The Red Bulls, who set times at the beginning of the session looked to be in danger due to this.
The Williams drivers opened up the second fast laps after both had been pushed into the last places. They ran two new sets of softs for their two fast laps, but remained low in the classification order. Dust on track caused problems, slowing some cars slightly during their runs.
Aston Martin were running a mixed set up, with old and new parts together on the car. Lance Stroll ran well in this first session. His teammate, Fernando Alonso, was struggling with a muscle injury in his back, but managed to post faster times than Stroll, even topping the standings at one point.
With two minutes to go, all cars bar the Mercedes duo were out on track. With time moving on, drivers were having to push faster than normal to make the red flag.
Out in Q1:
16. Yuki Tsunoda
17. Pierre Gasly
18. Esteban Ocon
19. Nico Hulkenberg
20. Alex Albon
In Q2, Mercedes were out early. They avoided some traffic, but couldn’t go quicker than their Q1 best times. Aston Martin were very quick, holding a 1-2 for a while during this session. Isack Hadjar was absolutely flying in his RB, managing to slot into the standing just behind the Aston Martins after the first runs. The McLaren’s quickly retook their 1-2 spots, ending their laps half a second in front of their competitors.
At this point, some rain was reported in the first two corners. The rest of the track seemed bone dry, and those corners were little affected by the rain reported. Red Bull advised their drivers that the best conditions would arrive at the end of the session.
The Ferraris were off the pace during Q2, being at risk throughout the running. Charles Leclerc was discussing running times with the Ferrari pit wall, asking them to prioritise getting out early. Their team had gambled somewhat (along with Red Bull), running on old tyres due to the rain reports. Franco Colapinto had a lap time deleted so was at risk of being knocked out since he had no time on the board. His only classified run of the session was only good enough for P14
Out in Q2:
11. Ollie Bearman
12. Lewis Hamilton
13. Carlos Sainz
14. Franco Colapinto
15. Kimi Antonelli
The McLarens set the tone in Q3, proving that this race would yet again be a two horse race. The other eight drivers were close together after the first runs, excluding Stroll who had a lap time deleted.
Heading out for the final runs, Max Verstappen was vocal about lack of grip on the radio. He has been talking about this issue consistently this season. The McLarens were unable to improve on their final runs, so when Leclerc went quicker, they didn’t respond. Out of practically nowhere, the Ferrari driver took pole position.
An unexpected result at the Hungaroring ends Saturday’s running. Will Leclerc be able to keep first place? Who can pass the Ferrari to take victory?
Top 10:
- Charles Leclerc
- Oscar Piastri
- Lando Norris
- George Russell
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Max Verstappen
- Liam Lawson
- Isack Hadjar
Written and edited by Alexandra
Featured image credit: GETTY IMAGES via bbc.co.uk
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