In a stunning turn of events at the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, McLaren dominated the session with Lando Norris securing pole position and his teammate Oscar Piastri joining him on the front row. This marks McLaren’s first front-row lockout in Hungary since Lewis Hamilton’s pole in 2012.Norris set a blistering pace with a time of 1:15.227, narrowly edging out Piastri by 0.044 seconds. The performance showcased McLaren’s recent improvements and their ability to capitalize on the challenging conditions at the Hungaroring.Reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who had dominated much of the season, found himself relegated to third place, 0.046 seconds behind Norris. This result suggests that McLaren is providing Red Bull with its stiffest competition in the past three seasons.The qualifying session was marked by unexpected turns and dramatic moments. George Russell of Mercedes suffered a shock elimination in Q1, finishing 17th. Sergio Perez of Red Bull also faced difficulties, crashing out in Q1 and parking his car against the wall.As the Hungarian Grand Prix marks the start of the second half of the Formula 1 season, the results of this qualifying session could have significant implications for the championship standings. Currently, Verstappen leads with an 84-point advantage over Norris. However, with McLaren’s strong showing and the notoriously difficult overtaking conditions at the Hungaroring, Sunday’s race promises to be a thrilling contest.
Key points
- McLaren secured a front-row lockout in Hungarian GP qualifying, with Lando Norris on pole and Oscar Piastri second.
- Max Verstappen of Red Bull qualified third, suggesting increased competition for the championship leader.
- Unexpected eliminations included George Russell in Q1 and a crash by Sergio Perez.
- The qualifying results set the stage for an exciting race, given the difficult overtaking conditions at Hungaroring.
Contradictionsđź‘ľThere are slight discrepancies in the reported pole position time for Lando Norris, with some sources citing 1:15.
227 and others 1:17.
755.