In a breathtaking display of skill and precision, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton stunned the Formula 1 paddock by seizing pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver edged out championship leader Max Verstappen by an astonishing three-thousandths of a second in a qualifying session that will be remembered for its nail-biting conclusion and strategic challenges. This remarkable achievement marks Hamilton’s 104th career pole position and his first since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, signaling a potential resurgence for Mercedes. Starting alongside Verstappen on the front row, the scene is set for a thrilling battle at the Hungaroring. McLaren’s revitalized duo, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, secured an impressive second row lockout, while Zhou Guanyu delivered a standout performance for Alfa Romeo, qualifying a career-best fifth.
The 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session introduced a unique twist with the Alternative Tyre Allocation (ATA) format. This innovative regulation mandated the use of specific tire compounds for each segment of qualifying: hard tires in Q1, medium tires in Q2, and soft tires in Q3. This deviation from the standard free-choice tire strategy added an extra layer of complexity and intrigue, forcing teams and drivers to adapt rapidly to unfamiliar conditions and prioritize tire management in ways rarely seen before.
Q1: Navigating the Hard Tyre Challenge
The opening phase of qualifying, Q1, immediately presented a formidable challenge as all 20 drivers were restricted to using only hard compound Pirelli tires. For many, this marked their first significant running on the white-walled rubber throughout the entire Grand Prix weekend, with practice sessions typically favoring softer compounds for performance runs. This unfamiliarity translated into a tentative start for several drivers as they grappled with the harder compound’s lower grip levels and longer warm-up times.
The two Alpine drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, were among the first to venture out and register times, initially setting the benchmark in the high 1’19s. However, their efforts were quickly surpassed by Sergio Perez in the Red Bull, who posted a competitive 1’19.292. The leaderboard continued to shuffle rapidly, with Valtteri Bottas momentarily putting his Alfa Romeo at the top with a strong 1’18.818, a time that even Max Verstappen initially struggled to match, slotting into second place.
As drivers pushed the limits, track infringements quickly became a pervasive issue. The unforgiving white lines at various corners of the Hungaroring claimed five laps in the first half of the session, highlighting the narrow margins and difficulty in extracting performance from the hard tires. Oscar Piastri, Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen, and both Williams drivers, Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant, all fell victim to exceeding track limits, losing crucial lap times and putting them under immediate pressure. Verstappen eventually found more pace, improving his time to take the lead ahead of Bottas, while his Red Bull teammate Perez opted for a strategic pit stop to fit a second set of hard tires in pursuit of a faster lap.
With just five minutes remaining, the tension escalated dramatically. Ferrari found themselves in a precarious position, with Charles Leclerc languishing in the elimination zone at 16th. Alongside him in danger were Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg, Logan Sargeant, and Kevin Magnussen. Leclerc, demonstrating his composure under pressure, bolted on a fresh set of hard tires and soared up to third place. Stroll also managed to pull himself into the top ten, momentarily pushing Carlos Sainz Jnr and Lewis Hamilton into the danger zone. However, Sainz responded with a blistering lap, just quicker than his teammate, securing his passage to Q2.
Hamilton’s final attempt was equally dramatic. Having allowed teammate George Russell to go ahead, he received the green light from his race engineer Peter Bonnington to “invert” positions. This decision proved pivotal, as Hamilton, despite encountering significant traffic congestion at the end of his lap, managed to pull himself out of the drop zone by the narrowest of margins. Russell, however, was not so fortunate. Caught in a chaotic traffic jam as he approached the final corner, he was overtaken by several drivers before he could begin his flying lap. His last-ditch effort failed, leaving him eliminated in a shocking 18th place, much to his profound frustration.
“It’s a shitshow,” fumed Russell over team radio. “What was that? Don’t tell me we’re out.” His race engineer confirmed the worst: he was indeed out. “F***ing hell!” he exclaimed, encapsulating the sheer disbelief and anger. The cut-off line for Q2 was incredibly fine, underscoring the intensity of the session. Daniel Ricciardo, making a highly anticipated return to Formula 1, scraped through by a mere hundredth of a second, denying Alexander Albon a spot in Q2. Yuki Tsunoda was just two-thousandths slower than Albon, further illustrating the microscopic differences. Following Russell, Magnussen and Sargeant completed the list of drivers eliminated in a truly unforgiving Q1.
Q1 Result
| Position | Number | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | C43 | 1’18.143 | 10 | |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB19 | 1’18.318 | 0.175 | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB19 | 1’18.360 | 0.217 | 8 |
| 4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | SF-23 | 1’18.393 | 0.250 | 9 |
| 5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-23 | 1’18.440 | 0.297 | 9 |
| 6 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL60 | 1’18.464 | 0.321 | 9 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | W14 | 1’18.577 | 0.434 | 8 |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR23 | 1’18.580 | 0.437 | 9 |
| 9 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | VF-23 | 1’18.695 | 0.552 | 8 |
| 10 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL60 | 1’18.697 | 0.554 | 11 |
| 11 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A523 | 1’18.743 | 0.600 | 10 |
| 12 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | C43 | 1’18.775 | 0.632 | 8 |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR23 | 1’18.782 | 0.639 | 10 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | A523 | 1’18.854 | 0.711 | 10 |
| 15 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | AT04 | 1’18.906 | 0.763 | 9 |
| 16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW45 | 1’18.917 | 0.774 | 8 |
| 17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | AT04 | 1’18.919 | 0.776 | 9 |
| 18 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W14 | 1’19.027 | 0.884 | 9 |
| 19 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | VF-23 | 1’19.206 | 1.063 | 8 |
| 20 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | FW45 | 1’19.248 | 1.105 | 8 |
Q2: The Medium Tyre Mayhem
The second qualifying session, Q2, introduced the requirement for drivers to run exclusively on medium compound tires. This shift immediately changed the dynamic, with the softer, yellow-walled rubber offering more grip and allowing for faster lap times. The initial minutes of Q2 were notably quieter than the frantic opening of Q1, as teams and drivers took a more measured approach, allowing tires to come up to temperature before committing to flying laps. Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll were among the first to set times, patiently waiting for the track to rubber in before the rest of the field began their runs.
Perez established the early benchmark with a 1’17.675, a significant improvement over the Q1 times. However, his teammate Max Verstappen’s initial effort, which appeared to have beaten Perez’s time, was swiftly deleted for exceeding track limits at the exit of turn five. This penalty instantly put the championship leader at a disadvantage, leaving him temporarily at the bottom of the leaderboard and adding a layer of pressure to his subsequent runs.
As the session progressed, the McLaren team showcased their impressive pace. Lando Norris propelled himself to the top of the timesheets with a blistering 1’17.328, approximately two-tenths faster than his rookie teammate Oscar Piastri, who also demonstrated strong form. Perez held third place in the Red Bull, ahead of the seasoned Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. With around six minutes remaining, the entire field retreated to the pits, preparing for their crucial final runs.
Verstappen’s deleted lap meant he was in a perilous position, needing a clean and fast lap to secure a spot in Q3. Seizing the opportunity of an entirely clear track, he unleashed a purple first sector, ultimately posting a time good enough for second place, impressively splitting the two McLarens. This left a group of drivers precariously close to the elimination zone, including Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Lance Stroll, all vying for a coveted top-ten spot.
The final moments of Q2 were fraught with drama. Stroll failed to improve sufficiently on his last lap, remaining in the drop zone. Ricciardo, despite a valiant effort on his F1 comeback, was also unable to secure a berth in Q3, missing out on the final segment. Bottas, however, executed a stellar final lap, jumping into the top five and momentarily safe. Gasly suffered a cruel blow, having his final time deleted for exceeding track limits, condemning him to 15th place. Adding to the heartbreak, Bottas’s late improvement had a devastating ripple effect, costing Carlos Sainz his Q3 spot by a minuscule two-thousandths of a second. The irony was not lost as Sainz’s Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, delivered the killer blow by securing his place in the top ten.
The intensity of Q2 was starkly highlighted by the fact that the top ten drivers progressing to Q3 were separated by a mere 0.373 seconds. In a remarkable turn of events, both Alfa Romeo drivers, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, managed to advance to Q3, marking their team’s first double Q3 appearance of the season and underscoring their impressive performance on the medium tires.
Q2 Result
| Position | Number | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL60 | 1’17.328 | 14 | |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | W14 | 1’17.427 | 0.099 | 14 |
| 3 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB19 | 1’17.547 | 0.219 | 15 |
| 4 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | C43 | 1’17.563 | 0.235 | 14 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL60 | 1’17.571 | 0.243 | 14 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-23 | 1’17.580 | 0.252 | 15 |
| 7 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | VF-23 | 1’17.652 | 0.324 | 14 |
| 8 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB19 | 1’17.675 | 0.347 | 17 |
| 9 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | C43 | 1’17.700 | 0.372 | 16 |
| 10 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR23 | 1’17.701 | 0.373 | 15 |
| 11 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | SF-23 | 1’17.703 | 0.375 | 15 |
| 12 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | A523 | 1’17.841 | 0.513 | 16 |
| 13 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | AT04 | 1’18.002 | 0.674 | 15 |
| 14 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR23 | 1’18.144 | 0.816 | 18 |
| 15 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A523 | 1’18.217 | 0.889 | 16 |
Q3: The Soft Tyre Showdown and Hamilton’s Triumph
The stage was set for the ultimate showdown in Q3, with the top ten drivers now unleashed on the softest compound, the red-walled Pirelli tires. After the incredibly tight margins witnessed in Q2, the fight for pole position was wide open, promising a thrilling battle where every millisecond would count. The ATA format’s final phase essentially mirrored a traditional qualifying session, allowing drivers to push their cars to the absolute limit on the grippiest tires available.
As the green light signaled the start of the final 12-minute session, Sergio Perez led a queue of cars out of the pit lane, with Fernando Alonso close behind. By the time the Red Bull driver began his push lap, all ten contenders were on the circuit, each sporting a fresh set of soft tires, eager to stamp their authority on the Hungaroring. Perez set the initial benchmark with a 1’17.142, a solid opening gambit. However, this time was quickly obliterated by Lando Norris, who, continuing McLaren’s strong weekend, dipped below the 1’17 barrier with his first effort. Neither Alonso nor Leclerc could match the McLaren’s pace, but Max Verstappen swiftly responded, posting a provisional pole time of 1’16.612, almost three-tenths quicker than Norris.
After the first round of runs, Lewis Hamilton emerged as the closest challenger to Verstappen, his Mercedes just over a tenth of a second shy of the Red Bull. Zhou Guanyu, in his first Q3 appearance of the season, had his initial lap deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 12. Despite this setback, his first completed effort placed him tenth, just behind Oscar Piastri, highlighting the immense competition at the front.
A tense silence descended over the track as all drivers pitted for a final change to fresh soft tires, setting the stage for their last-ditch efforts to snatch pole. Nico Hulkenberg led the field out for the decisive runs, with Perez once again ahead of his teammate Verstappen. However, Charles Leclerc made a bold move on the out lap, passing Verstappen to position himself between the two Red Bulls, potentially aiming for a slipstream or clearer air ahead of his final flying lap. As the cars accelerated, the anticipation was palpable.
The drama continued to unfold in the final moments. While Perez and Verstappen failed to improve their first sectors, Charles Leclerc found crucial time, ultimately jumping ahead of Perez into fourth. Surprisingly, Max Verstappen also couldn’t improve on his initial pole time, leaving the door tantalizingly open for his rivals. Oscar Piastri then improved on his second lap, moving into fourth place, while Lando Norris lit up the middle sector, looking set to challenge for pole. Despite his strong performance, Norris ultimately couldn’t beat Verstappen’s time, falling just under a tenth of a second short at the chequered flag, securing provisional second.
With only Lewis Hamilton left on track, all eyes were on the Mercedes W14. Could he deny Verstappen a sixth consecutive pole position? In a truly astonishing finish, the seasoned champion delivered a masterclass. Hamilton dug deep, extracting every ounce of performance from his car, and crossed the finish line to snatch pole position by an incredibly slim three-thousandths of a second. It was a sensational moment, securing Mercedes’ first pole of the season and ending Verstappen’s dominant streak.
Max Verstappen was relegated to second on the grid, finding himself beaten to pole for the first time in a considerable period. Lando Norris will start third, just behind the two world champions, ahead of his impressive teammate Oscar Piastri. Zhou Guanyu secured his best-ever qualifying position in fifth, a stellar performance for Alfa Romeo, ahead of Charles Leclerc and his teammate Valtteri Bottas. Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten positions, completing a qualifying session that delivered unexpected twists and a truly memorable outcome at the Hungaroring.
Q3 Result
| Position | Number | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | W14 | 1’16.609 | 20 | |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB19 | 1’16.612 | 0.003 | 21 |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL60 | 1’16.694 | 0.085 | 20 |
| 4 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL60 | 1’16.905 | 0.296 | 20 |
| 5 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | C43 | 1’16.971 | 0.362 | 22 |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-23 | 1’16.992 | 0.383 | 21 |
| 7 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | C43 | 1’17.034 | 0.425 | 20 |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR23 | 1’17.035 | 0.426 | 21 |
| 9 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB19 | 1’17.045 | 0.436 | 23 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | VF-23 | 1’17.186 | 0.577 | 20 |
2023 Hungarian Grand Prix Insights
- Was F1’s Alternative Tyre Allocation Test Successful? Drivers and Teams Have Their Say
- How Far Can McLaren Climb With Car Rivals Now Say Is the Second-Fastest in F1?
- Why Ricciardo Says McLaren’s Car “Speaks Lando’s Language” – But Norris Disagrees
- Mercedes Reveal Cooling Error Behind Loss of Pace in Hungarian GP
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