Lando Norris Snatches Hungary Pole Position from Hamilton
Lando Norris has taken his first grand prix pole position of the season, beating Lewis Hamilton by a mere 0.012 seconds with the final lap of the session in Hungary.
The four-time champion had been fastest on the first runs, but neither Hamilton nor his team-mate Charles Leclerc could improve on their final attempts. Norris pulled out pole, following one in the sprint in Miami, in a chaotic end to the session caused by a spin at the final corner by Max Verstappen.
The Red Bull driver's error affected Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, who were forced to slow, ending up fourth and seventh. Verstappen had got going again before Norris came around as the last driver on track to clinch pole in the upgraded McLaren.
Hamilton was a second slower on his second run than on his first, and he also faces an investigation for impeding Oscar Piastri at Turn One after he finished his final lap. Antonelli is another driver off to the stewards, in his case for an alleged yellow-flag infringement.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso made a major breakthrough for Aston Martin on the weekend they debuted their virtually new car by breaking out of the first session for the first time this season. Alonso will start 16th, 2.8secs off pole – but that was two seconds faster in relative pace than they had managed for some time.
Alonso feels relieved about the breakthrough, saying, "I feel relieved a little bit, feeling that the team understood the weaknesses of the car and this is the first step in the right direction." He faces a decision this summer as to whether to continue his career after this season.
The drivers were battling with a track surface that was breaking up, especially in the final two corners, where Norris said it was especially difficult to judge the grip level. Russell was afflicted on his final run by a water leak, which was spraying water on to his rear tyres.
The drivers' comments reflect the challenges they faced on the track. Antonelli said, "I think we were just slightly out of the window with tyres, then in Q3 we did a good step and the car just felt finally a bit more alive. For sure it was a shame with the yellow flags, but it happens. P3 was on the table today but still not good enough for pole."
The Hungarian Grand Prix is set to be a closely contested event, with Norris and Hamilton looking to make up for lost time on the track. The investigation into Hamilton's impeding of Piastri is expected to continue, with further developments to be announced in the coming days.
Source: BBC Sports
