Lando Norris of McLaren achieved his first grand prix pole position of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, Lewis Hamilton faced a three-place grid penalty for impeding, which affected his starting position for the race.
Norris secured pole by a margin of 0.012 seconds over Hamilton on the final lap of the qualifying session. Hamilton’s penalty for blocking Norris’s team-mate Oscar Piastri moved him from second to fifth on the grid.
Qualifying Session Highlights
Hamilton had initially been the fastest on the first runs, leading Norris by just over 0.1 seconds. Despite this, neither Hamilton nor his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc could improve their times on their final attempts. Leclerc was subsequently promoted to second on the grid due to Hamilton’s penalty.
Norris’s pole position followed a previous one in the sprint in Miami. 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. This incident affected Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, who were forced to slow down.
Antonelli will now start third on the grid because of Hamilton’s penalty, while Russell will begin in seventh position. Verstappen managed to recover and secure sixth place, ahead of Russell and the second Red Bull driver, Isack Hadjar. Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten.
Hamilton’s Penalty and Team Response
Hamilton’s penalty stemmed from an incident where he was judged to have unnecessarily impeded Piastri during qualifying. Stewards reviewed video, telemetry, team radio, and in-car video evidence before making their decision. 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 stated that Piastri was not visible in his mirrors due to his car’s positioning. Piastri, who was on a timed lap, had to take evasive action, running wide and aborting his lap. Hamilton’s Ferrari team principal, Frederic Vasseur, took responsibility for the error, stating that the warning to Hamilton was given too late.
Hamilton expressed his frustration, noting that he was the first driver out for the final run and believed everyone else had finished their laps. He described the situation as “crazy” because the session had been clean up to that point, and the impeding was unintentional.
Antonelli is also under investigation for an alleged yellow-flag infringement related to Verstappen’s spin. The top ten qualifiers, after penalties, are: Lando Norris (McLaren), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Oscar Piastri (McLaren), Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), George Russell (Mercedes), Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), and Nico Hulkenberg (Audi).
Aston Martin’s Progress and Alonso’s Outlook
Fernando Alonso made a significant advancement for Aston Martin, progressing out of the first qualifying session for the first time this season. This breakthrough occurred on the weekend the team introduced a virtually new car. Alonso 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, stating that the team had understood the car’s weaknesses and was moving in the right direction. He noted that previous updates earlier in the season had not been effective, and the team had experienced two years of disappointing upgrades. He feels a renewed sense of optimism within the factory.
Alonso faces a decision this summer regarding his future career beyond this season. He conveyed confidence in technical partner Adrian Newey to lead the team to future success but questioned whether this would happen soon enough for him. He believes it is a matter of time before Aston Martin has the best chassis and Honda has the best engine in F1.
Drivers encountered challenges with the Hungaroring track surface, particularly in the final two corners, where Norris found it difficult to assess grip levels. 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 that the car felt “a bit more alive” in Q3 after making a good step with the tyres. He acknowledged that yellow flags were a “shame” but accepted that such incidents occur in racing. The Hungarian Grand Prix race is scheduled for Sunday.
Source: bbc.co.uk
As NewsGB.org's Sports News Writer, Theo Marsden reports on rugby union, golf and boxing for readers across the country. He began on a regional sports desk in Yorkshire. He holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Hull and completed an NCTJ diploma. Theo lives in Hull, where he follows the European Tour and amateur rugby. “Sport moves fast; readers deserve it right the first time.”