Lando Norris of McLaren has clinched his first pole position of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, the qualifying session saw significant grid penalties issued to Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli, altering the starting order for Sunday’s race.
Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for impeding McLaren’s Oscar Piastri during the final moments of Q3. This demotion means Hamilton, who initially qualified second, will now start from fifth position. The stewards determined that Hamilton unnecessarily impeded Piastri, forcing Piastri to abort his lap.
Antonelli, the championship leader, also incurred a three-place grid penalty. He was penalised for not slowing sufficiently under single yellow flags, which were deployed following a spin by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the final corner. Antonelli, who originally qualified fourth, will now start seventh.
Grid Changes and Driver Reactions
The penalties have reshuffled the top of the grid. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will now start second, with Piastri moving up to third. Verstappen will begin the race from fourth, while Mercedes’ George Russell is set to start sixth, one place ahead of his teammate Antonelli.
Norris secured pole position by a narrow margin of 0.012 seconds. He expressed satisfaction with his performance, stating he was “very happy to be back on top” at a track where pole position is particularly advantageous. Despite his laps in Q3 not being “the best,” he was “pleasantly surprised to be on top.”
Hamilton, who was fastest on the first runs, was unable to improve on his final attempt. He described his last lap as “the worst lap of all” and felt he “just didn’t deliver,” despite believing the car had the potential for pole. Regarding the impeding incident, Hamilton stated he was not warned of Piastri’s approach by his team until it was too late, believing everyone else had finished their laps.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur took responsibility for the incident involving Hamilton and Piastri, stating that the team’s communication was “far too late.”
Other Notable Performances and Challenges
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin made a significant step forward, progressing to Q2 for the first time this season with their updated car. He will start 16th, noting that the team has “understood the weaknesses of the car” and expressing optimism about the future. Alonso will be 45 next week and faces a decision regarding his career beyond this season. He remains confident in the potential of Adrian Newey and the team at Silverstone, believing it is “a matter of time before we have the best chassis.”
Drivers faced challenging conditions with the Hungaroring track surface, which was reportedly breaking up, particularly in the final two corners. Norris highlighted the difficulty in judging grip levels.
Russell also encountered issues during his final run, experiencing a water leak that sprayed water onto his rear tyres. He was instructed to pull over immediately after crossing the line to prevent engine damage.
The Hungarian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, with the race starting at 2pm.
Source: bbc.co.uk