Lando Norris of McLaren secured his first Grand Prix pole position of the season in Hungary. However, Lewis Hamilton faced a three-place grid penalty for impeding another driver, which affected his starting position for the race. The penalty moved Hamilton from second to fifth on the grid.
Norris clinched pole position with his final lap, narrowly beating Hamilton by 0.012 seconds. Hamilton had initially been faster on his first runs by just over 0.1 seconds ahead of Norris. Neither Hamilton nor his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who was promoted to second on the grid due to Hamilton’s penalty, managed to improve their times on their final attempts.
The end of the qualifying session was described as chaotic, partly due to a spin by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the final corner. Verstappen’s error impacted Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, who were forced to slow down. Antonelli will start third on the grid because of Hamilton’s penalty, while Russell will begin the race in seventh.
Penalty for Hamilton
Hamilton’s three-place grid penalty was issued for blocking Norris’s teammate, Oscar Piastri. The incident occurred as Hamilton slowed down after completing his final lap, reportedly impeding Piastri through Turn One as Piastri began his final timed attempt. Stewards summoned both drivers and team representatives to review the situation.
The stewards’ verdict stated that Hamilton was travelling at a significantly reduced speed on the racing line, and Piastri, who was on a push lap, was forced to take avoiding action and abort his lap. Hamilton explained that he had just completed a fast lap and did not receive a warning about Piastri’s approach until it was too late. He also noted that Piastri was not visible in his mirrors due to his car’s positioning.
Hamilton’s Ferrari team principal, Frederic Vasseur, took responsibility for the incident, stating that the team’s warning to Hamilton about Piastri was given too late. Hamilton himself expressed surprise, believing that everyone had finished their laps behind him. He maintained that the impeding was unintentional.
As a result of the penalty, Leclerc was promoted to second place, and Antonelli moved up to third. Piastri will now start in fourth position. Antonelli is also under a separate stewards’ investigation for an alleged yellow-flag infringement related to Verstappen’s spin.
Optimism for Aston Martin
In other qualifying news, Fernando Alonso achieved a significant milestone for Aston Martin. The team debuted a virtually new car, and Alonso progressed out of the first session for the first time this season. He will start 16th, 2.8 seconds off pole, which represents a two-second improvement in relative pace for the team.
Alonso, who will be 45 next week, expressed relief, indicating that the team had identified the car’s weaknesses and was moving in the right direction. He mentioned that previous updates earlier in the season had not been effective, and the team had experienced two years of disappointing upgrades. This recent progress has fostered renewed optimism within the factory.
The veteran Spaniard is facing a decision regarding his future career beyond the current season. He stated his confidence in technical partner Adrian Newey and the team’s potential at Silverstone, believing it is only a matter of time until they have the best chassis and Honda provides the best engine in F1. However, he questioned whether this success would materialise soon enough for him.
Drivers encountered challenges with the Hungaroring track surface, which was breaking up, particularly in the final two corners. Norris specifically noted the difficulty in judging the grip level in these sections. Russell also experienced an issue during his final run, with a water leak spraying water onto his rear tyres, prompting Mercedes to instruct him to pull over immediately after crossing the line to prevent engine damage.
Antonelli commented on his qualifying performance, suggesting that the team was slightly outside the optimal tyre window initially but made improvements in Q3, making the car feel more responsive. He acknowledged that the yellow flags were a “shame” but accepted that such incidents occur in racing. He felt that a third-place start was achievable, though not pole position.
The top 10 qualifiers are: 1. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:17.207, 2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.012 (will start fifth due to grid penalty), 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.238, 4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.272, 5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.477, 6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.518, 7. George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.533, 8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +0.649, 9. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – +1.074, 10. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – +1.479.
The Hungarian Grand Prix race is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, with the main event starting at 2pm.
Source: bbc.co.uk
As News-UK's Sports News Writer, Oscar Pennington reports on rugby union, golf and boxing for readers across the country. He built a reputation for sharp explainer pieces on regional sport. He holds a degree in Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Oscar lives in Nottingham, where he follows the pro golf tour and amateur boxing. “Context is what turns a result into a story.”
