Norris Secures Pole Position
Lando Norris of McLaren secured his first pole position of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, outpacing Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by a margin of 0.012 seconds with his final lap. This dramatic conclusion to qualifying in Budapest saw Norris improve his time as his competitors faced challenges on their second runs in Q3.
Hamilton had initially held the fastest time after the first runs, leading Norris by just over 0.1 seconds. However, neither Hamilton nor his teammate, Charles Leclerc, were able to better their initial efforts on their subsequent attempts. Norris’s pole position follows a previous sprint pole in Miami earlier in the season.
The session’s chaotic end was 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 compelled to reduce their speed, ultimately finishing fourth and seventh respectively. Despite the incident, Verstappen managed to resume driving before Norris completed his final lap to claim pole in his upgraded McLaren.
Hamilton’s second run was notably slower than his first, and he is also under investigation for potentially impeding McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at Turn One after completing his final lap. Verstappen secured sixth place, ahead of Russell and the second Red Bull driver, Isack Hadjar. Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg also featured in the top ten.
Leclerc and Alonso’s Qualifying Efforts
Charles Leclerc, who will start third on the grid at the Hungaroring, expressed that he felt somewhat off his usual pace. He noted that the qualifying session was quite messy and attributed some of the difficulties to a significant wind change, which he felt he did not anticipate well with his car’s setup.
Leclerc also mentioned an element of misfortune in Q2 due to a yellow flag in the final sector, which forced him to play catch-up. He acknowledged that his pace was not at the level of Hamilton’s, but he believed he maximised his performance given the circumstances.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso achieved a significant breakthrough for Aston Martin. The team debuted a virtually new car this weekend, and Alonso’s progress out of the first qualifying session marked a first for him this season. He will start the race in 16th position, 2.8 seconds off pole, but this represents a two-second improvement in relative pace compared to their recent performances.
Alonso, who will be 45 next week, conveyed a sense of relief, stating that the team has begun to understand the car’s weaknesses and is moving in the right direction. He highlighted that previous updates earlier in the season had not yielded much success, and the team had experienced two years of disappointment with upgrades. This recent progress has led to a renewed sense of optimism within the factory, which Alonso shares.
Looking Ahead to the Race
Both Hamilton and Antonelli face potential grid penalties as a result of post-session investigations. Hamilton’s inquiry relates to the possible impeding of Piastri, while Antonelli’s investigation concerns whether he sufficiently slowed down when approaching yellow flags that indicated Verstappen’s spin.
Alonso is currently considering his future beyond the current season. He expressed confidence in the potential of technical partner Adrian Newey to lead the team to future success, stating that it is only a matter of time before Aston Martin develops the best chassis and Honda provides the best engine in F1. However, he remains uncertain if this will occur soon enough for him to continue his career with the team.
The Hungarian Grand Prix race is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, with build-up beginning at 12:30 PM and the race itself starting at 2:00 PM.
Source: bbc.com
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Charlie Bradshaw is the Senior Football Correspondent at News-GB, covering the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side with ten years of reporting experience. He covered Merseyside football before going national. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Liverpool John Moores University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Liverpool, he watches non-league sides and collects old match programmes. “The back page is only ever half the story.”