Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying Result: Lewis Hamilton Upsets Max Verstappen To Take First Pole Since 2021

Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying Result: Lewis Hamilton snatched pole position from Max Verstappen by a mere three-thousandths of a second.

Pole position qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on July 22, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary.

Source : Getty Images

In an intense battle at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton snatched pole position from Max Verstappen by a mere three-thousandths of a second. Despite a sluggish performance in Friday practice, the British driver made a strong comeback on Saturday. Hungaroring, a track where Hamilton has achieved considerable success in his Formula 1 career, proved to be a challenging venue for Verstappen, who was aiming for his sixth consecutive pole position. The competition between the two drivers was fierce, making for an exciting and closely contested qualifying session.

Hamilton now has 9 pole positions at the Hungaroring Circuit, the latest of which marks his first pole position since Jeddah 2021, the year he lost his championship in the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He was greeted to roaring reactions from the crowed, with the British driver nearly losing his voice due to screaming out of excitement in his car. It is to be seen if he can convert this pole into a win. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s team George Russell will be starting the race in a disappointing P18 due to issues with on track traffic in Q1, much to the disappointment of team boss Toto Wolff who was seen banging his fist on his table in frustration.

 

Lewis: "I feel so grateful to be up here. The team have been working so hard" #HungarianGP #F1 @LewisHamilton @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/MHIcxZMbkr

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 22, 2023

McLaren yet again showed great pace with them building on their Silverstone pace, with both cars in Q3. Lando Norris will be starting on the second row in 3 while his team Oscar Piastri will be alongside in P4. Alfa Romeo too had a great qualifying session with both drivers in Q3. Zhou will be starting the race in his highest ever P5, while his Finnish team Valtteri Bottas will be in P7.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari will be starting P6, while his team Carlos Sainz will be starting P11 after missing out on Q3 by two thousand of a second.  
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso will be starting P8 all while teammate and team owner’s son Lance Stroll is in P14.


For the first time in five races, Sergio Perez of Red Bull made it into Q3 with him finishing P9.  Yet again showing his one lap pace, Nico Hulkenberg finished P10 for Haas. Teammate Kevin Magnussen will be P19 on the grid. The French duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were P12 and P15 respectively for the French team Alpine.

Returning Daniel Ricciardo, who replaced Nyck de Vries, will be P13 on the grid while his Japanese team Yuki Tusunoda will be starting P17. Rounding up the qualification is Alexander Albon in P16 with his Williams teammate Logan Sargeant finishing last in P20.

STARTING GRID 🇭🇺

Here's how we line up for lights out on Sunday! 👊#HungarianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/N46wpbWpAL

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 22, 2023