Hungary - Qualifying

The qualifying for last Grand Prix before the three-week summer break took place at the ever-exciting Hungaroring. The dominant McLarens, as they often do, came into the weekend hungry for yet another pole to add to their impressive collection. But the other teams weren’t going to give up without a fight. 

With the circuit only 4.4km long, the laps were rather short, so it wasn’t long before fans got to see the first times pop up on the leaderboards. To the surprise of few, one of the McLarens, this time that of Oscar Piastri, settled on the very top. He wasn't followed by his teammate, but rather by the two Mercedes. Satisfied with their times, neither George Russell nor Kimi Antonelli appeared on track for another attempt. Their strategy was brave and led to dangerously low finishing positions, but it paid off as both drivers made it through to Q2. Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg, and Alex Albon weren't as lucky.

The start of the second part of qualifying was slightly delayed as the marshalls worked on cleaning up some gravel that had found its way onto the track. This was bad news for the drivers since the weather worsened and droplets of rain began falling from the overcast sky. A line formed by the garages as they tried to get out on track as quickly as possible. Out of all the top teams, in Q2, it was Ferrari that found itself in the most trouble. For their first attempts, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were sent out on used tires and managed laps good enough only for P10 and P11. Everything hung on their second flying laps. While both managed to improve their times, only one moved through to Q3. Hamilton's effort simply wasn't enough, although he didn't miss out by a lot. Ferrari's situation was mirrored by Mercedes: while Russell secured a place in Q3, Antonelli did not.

The weather improved before the last part of the session. After all cars, except the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll and the Racing Bull of Isack Hadjar, had completed their first attempts, it was the McLarens who occupied the top positions. Their times were good, and it seemed like the pole was bound to go to one or the other. But in Formula One, it's never over until it's over. Seemingly out of nowhere, Leclerc managed a monster lap that pushed him all the way to provisional pole. Norris and Piastri tried to take it back, but fur to the dropping track temperature, they weren't able to improve their times. The time soon ran out, and the Monegasque converted the provisional pole into a real one for the first time this season. 

Order of the grid:

1. Charles Leclerc

2. Oscar Piastri

3. Lando Norris

4. George Russell

5. Fernando Alonso

6. Lance Stroll

7. Gabriel Bortoleto

8. Max Verstappen

9. Liam Lawson

10. Isack Hadjar

11. Kimi Antonelli

12. Oliver Bearman

13. Lewis Hamilton

14. Carlos Sainz

15. Franco Colapinto

16. Yuki Tsunoda

17. Pierre Gasly

18. Esteban Ocon

19. Nico Hulkenberg

20. Alex Albon