Hungary Quali : Lewis on Pole

Lewis Hamilton snatched his first Pole since Saudi 2021. This was his 104th career Pole and 9th at Hungary

Lewis Magic in Hungary

It has been a long time since we have seen that Lewis magic in a Quali session. The Quali was different with only Hard tires allowed in Q1, Mediums in Q2 and Softs in Q3. Some drivers were caught out in this as they did not have good performance on Hards or Mediums like Carlos Sainz but for most it was business as usual. Lewis had a fast car as seen in the practice sessions but a Pole was something that even he had not imagined. He extracted the most of his Mercedes and snatched Pole by a mere 0.003 seconds. This is his record 104th Career Pole and a record 9th Pole at Hungary. This Pole is a good boost to his confidence and for the team.

Meanwhile his team-mate George Russell had a disaster as got stuck in traffic and couldn’t get out of Q1. He will be starting P18 in the race. Despite having a quick car, it will be difficult as Hungary is not an easy over-taking car.

Max misses by a sliver

The standard that Max has set for himself and by everyone else is so high that anything less than a Pole seems like a disappointment. Max missed out on Pole by a mere 0.003 seconds but he seemed devastated. To be sure he was unable to find the balance in the practice sessions too. But the Red Bull has good race pace and he will still be the favourite to win the race. His team-mate Sergio Perez continues with the rough patch with a crash in FP1 session and then not making the most in Q3. He will be starting P9 in the race.

McLaren making the most at Hungary

McLaren seems to have found their mojo and Silverstone was not a one-off event. From fighting at the end of the grid to being just 0.085 seconds off Pole is mighty impressive. Lando Norris extracted the most, although he was still disappointed for not getting the perfect lap, and put his car on P3. Equally impressive was rookie Oscar Piastri who was just behind Lando and will be starting P4. Expect at least one McLaren to be on the podium.

Alfa Romeo surprise

This one came out of nowhere. The Alfa Romeos were quick in the practice sessions and they made the most in Quali too. Zhou got his career best P5 position and Valtteri Bottas P7. Alfa was not even in the mid-field fight and suddenly they seem to be another contender to be ahead of the grid. Zhou especially was very impressive and he will be looking to get some good points in the race.

Ferrari lacking pace

Ferrari again failed to get their act together. Carlos Sainz was nowhere on the Mediums and he failed to get into Q3 for the first time in 2023. They also lacked pace and were behind the McLarens, Mercedes and even Alfa Romeo. Ferrari has a lot of soul-searching to do. Charles LeClerc will be starting P6 and he would be lucky if he can hold on to this position.

Aston Martin seem to be slipping down and their position is now taken by the McLarens and even Mercedes. Fernando will be starting P8 in the race and Stroll was much behind, not getting into Q3. Nico Hulkenburg managed to get into Q3 but only a lowly P10. Both the Alpines failed to get into Q3. Daniel Ricciardo did well after getting a set in Alpha Tauri and managed to out-qualify team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

Hungary Starting Grid : Lewis on Pole, Max P2