Lando Norris clinches pole in Hungary, leading McLaren to a front row domination, with Verstappen just behind and Pérez facing another setback.
Following three free practice sessions at the Hungaroring, Lando Norris and McLaren F1 emerged as the standout performers. The British driver dominated two of the three sessions, with Oscar Piastri finishing close behind in FP3, underscoring the British team’s strong form.
Max Verstappen, piloting a drastically revised Red Bull, appeared to be the strongest contender following them, while the Mercedes F1 drivers capitalized on cooler track conditions on Saturday morning to display their prowess.
Ferrari still appears slightly off the pace compared to these three teams, while the mid-field remains tightly packed, with Aston Martin, Haas, RB F1, and even Williams making it into the top 10 in all three sessions.
An unexpected twist occurred as rain began to fall during the break between the F2 race and qualifying! However, the track is expected to dry as the hour progresses, with Q3 likely to take place on a dry surface. In the meantime, drivers will be taking risks, potentially shaking up the hierarchy.
Q1 – 18 minutes
Kevin Magnussen initially set the pace, only to be outdone by Yuki Tsunoda. The drivers ventured out on slick tyres as the threat of rain loomed. Daniel Ricciardo took second place before Alex Albon improved with a 1’18″3, and Logan Sargeant then topped him with a 1’17″7.
Esteban Ocon claimed third place, while Guanyu Zhou noted an increase in the rain. Fernando Alonso slotted between the two Williams cars, as Piastri posted the fastest lap with a 1’17″504, and Norris took second place.
Carlos Sainz went even faster with a 1’17″244. Verstappen only managed the fifth fastest time, while Lewis Hamilton clocked a 1’17″087 to take the lead. Sergio Pérez slotted in just behind Verstappen, as a yellow flag was waved in sector 1.
The green flag was waved again, and George Russell failed to improve beyond 11th. Albon advanced to eighth place. Sargeant caused the yellow flag, locking up his tyres and brushing the wall at low speed.
Alonso moved up to fourth, and Leclerc recorded the ninth fastest time. Verstappen posted the fastest second sector overall and finished with the third-fastest time, two-tenths behind Hamilton. Ricciardo ended up 15th, and Pérez did not improve beyond his provisional eighth place.
As the rain seemed to ease, Pierre Gasly took the 11th spot. Ocon also made progress, moving up to tenth place. Facing elimination, Russell did not improve following a mistake. Sargeant returned to the pits to assess damage, securing a strong provisional seventh place.
And then the red flag was deployed after another track exit by Pérez! Temporarily ninth in this Q1, the Mexican crashed in the second sector of the circuit, a situation that certainly complicates matters at Red Bull, especially given the extensive damage to his significantly upgraded RB20.
16:19: Race direction announced a restart at 16:22, yet the rain intensified during the break. The provisional eliminations include Ricciardo, Stroll, Magnussen, Zhou, and Hülkenberg, and it may prove challenging to improve their times. Pérez will start from 15th at best tomorrow, and it’s likely he will begin from the pit lane since he must revert to a different specification on his RB20.
Russell, in fourteenth place, re-entered the track on slick tyres, while Williams continued work on Sargeant’s FW46. Bottas also ventured out on similar tyres, doing the same in fifteenth position.
The lap times of those who returned to the track were markedly slow, but Russell kept circling, with only five cars on track. A wise choice, as Zhou also improved, and several drivers took to the track to avoid being caught out by any potential improvements with only 2 minutes and 30 seconds left in Q1.
Everyone except the Alpine drivers, and obviously Pérez, returned to the track. Russell came back in as well! Verstappen matched Hamilton’s time. Leclerc moved up to fourth, Stroll achieved the fourth-fastest time, and Ricciardo took the lead with a 1’17″050!
Albon and Hülkenberg moved up the order, along with Bottas and Magnussen, while Zhou just managed to outpace the Alpine. The French team made a colossal blunder by not sending their drivers back out… Russell admitted over the radio that it was his mistake after failing to improve.
Eliminated were Pérez, Russell, Zhou, Ocon, and Gasly.
Q2 – 15 minutes
A replay revealed that Mercedes had not fueled Russell’s W15 sufficiently for him to complete Q1, a significant oversight by the team. With the elimination of both the British driver and Pérez, two top team cars were absent from this Q2.
Sainz set the initial fastest time of Q2 with a 1’17″028. Many drivers stayed in the pits during the early minutes as the rain was not yet optimal. Hamilton and Verstappen immediately took to the track, opting for worn tyres on their first attempt.
Hamilton also used worn tyres and improved upon Sainz’s time with a 1’16″544. Logically, Verstappen did even better with new tyres, clocking a 1’15″770. Bottas claimed fourth place, Hülkenberg fifth, and Piastri took second, just 15 milliseconds behind Verstappen.
Alonso and Stroll positioned themselves third and fourth provisionally, while Tsunoda did not improve beyond seventh, between Magnussen and Sainz. Sargeant ranked tenth, evidently less confident after his Q1 incident. Norris placed fourth and Leclerc fifth. Sainz improved to third, and Albon slotted in behind Sargeant.
As often happens, drivers went out too late, complicating the situation for several, notably for Hülkenberg, who let an entire line of cars pass in the pit lane.
Hamilton improved to take sixth place, half a second behind Verstappen. Stroll secured fourth, while Albon also advanced to ninth position. Sargeant recorded the tenth fastest time, but others behind them in the standings were improving.
Ricciardo moved into sixth place, Leclerc climbed to fourth, and Alonso maintained but did not improve his sixth position. Norris set the fastest time of Q2 with a 1’15″540. Tsunoda ascended into the top 10, securing eighth place.
Bottas posted the 11th fastest time, just 0.077 seconds behind Hamilton, and Hülkenberg was a mere ten-thousandths of a second off the Briton, while Magnussen could do no better than 15th! The seven-time world champion narrowly saved his spot! Thus, two McLarens, two Ferraris, two Aston Martins, two RB F1s, one Red Bull, and one Mercedes proceeded to Q3.
Those eliminated were Hülkenberg, Bottas, Albon, Sargeant, and Magnussen.
Q3 – 12 minutes
The session resumed with rain forecasted seven minutes into this final part of qualifying. All drivers headed out, some on new tyres and some on worn, but the second run might not go as planned.
Verstappen completed his lap with a 1’15″555, Piastri posted the second-fastest time with a 1’15″863. Sainz could not come close, recording a 1’16″2. Hamilton took third place with a 1’15″9, and Leclerc edged out his future teammate by 14 milliseconds.
Alonso recorded the fifth fastest provisional time, and Norris was quickest in sector 2. Tsunoda took seventh place, while Norris finished with a 1’15″227, leading by three-tenths ahead of Verstappen and six-tenths in front of Piastri. Stroll posted the eighth fastest time.
Teams and drivers rushed to return to the track before the rain set in earnestly. Drops began to fall, but the warm asphalt of the Hungaroring still had a few dry minutes left.
Ferrari did not send Leclerc back out, while Norris was delayed in the sequence for his second run, having postponed his initial fast lap.
Piastri ended with the second-fastest time, just 22 milliseconds behind Norris. Sainz did no better than fourth, while Verstappen finished with the third fastest time, 0.046 seconds off Norris. The session was halted due to Tsunoda crashing heavily off-track, though he was unharmed.
With 2:13 remaining, a red flag was raised. Q3 was set to resume for a final quick lap, with Norris quickly leading the way to the end of the pit lane.
Frustrated at missing out on pole position when he completed his lap, Verstappen abandoned his car and chose not to rejoin the track. Norris led the queue at the end of the pits ahead of Hamilton and Piastri, with rain possibly falling again.
17:19: The session was scheduled to resume at 17:21. Would it be under rainy conditions? The answer was soon to come!
Drivers jostled for position at the restart, except for Norris and Hamilton who managed to create some distance ahead. Notably, the track was slightly dirty in the corner where Tsunoda had exited. Only Norris, Hamilton, Piastri, Ricciardo, Stroll, and Leclerc managed to cross the line.
However, the lap times were not promising; Norris did not improve, Piastri returned to the pits, and Ricciardo was the only one to progress, overtaking Tsunoda.
Thus, Norris will be on pole, followed by Piastri, then Verstappen and Sainz. Hamilton and Leclerc will start on the third row, ahead of Alonso and Stroll, then Ricciardo and Tsunoda.
2024 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:17.755 | 1:15.540 | 1:15.227 |
| 02 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:17.504 | 1:15.785 | 1:15.249 |
| 03 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:17.087 | 1:15.770 | 1:15.273 |
| 04 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:17.244 | 1:15.885 | 1:15.696 |
| 05 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:17.087 | 1:16.307 | 1:15.854 |
| 06 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:17.437 | 1:15.891 | 1:15.905 |
| 07 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:17.624 | 1:16.117 | 1:16.043 |
| 08 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:17.405 | 1:16.075 | 1:16.244 |
| 09 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:17.050 | 1:16.202 | 1:16.447 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:17.436 | 1:16.121 | 1:16.477 |
| — | —————- | ————— | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:17.362 | 1:16.317 | |
| 12 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:17.487 | 1:16.384 | |
| 13 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:17.280 | 1:16.429 | |
| 14 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:17.770 | 1:16.543 | |
| 15 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:17.851 | 1:16.548 | |
| — | —————- | ————— | ———- | ———- | ———- |
| 16 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:17.886 | ||
| 17 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:17.968 | ||
| 18 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:18.037 | ||
| 19 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:18.049 | ||
| 20 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:18.166 |
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