Lewis Hamilton on Saturday won qualifying for the 38th Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, without surprise. However, it was no surprise that he was the only one among the top three qualifiers to be completely happy, while Max Verstappen, who was pushed out of pole position at the last minute, could not hide his disappointment and did not want to.
“I was a little surprised, but also a little disappointed, because if you’re ten times off pole, you know that if you’ve done a perfect lap, you’d probably be first – began his assessment of Lando Norris, who finished third. There is definitely still a 10th place, but that 3rd place is a very good Sunday spot. Our car’s racing pace also looked strong in the Friday practice sessions, even if we weren’t as good as at Silverstone. It’s a very difficult track, it’s hard to overtake, but I’m confident we can score a lot of points in the race.”
If Norris wasn’t quite satisfied, it was even more true for Max Verstappen, who finished second. The Dutchman stood in front of the microphone with a rather sad face after exiting his car.
“I struggled all weekend with the balance of the car, I couldn’t find the best setup, my performance was choppy. Today I also struggled in Q1 and Q2. I think the first fast lap was pretty good, but in the second I couldn’t feel the car anymore, I lost the rear, then the front as well. I finished second, even though I should have finished pole with this car. This weekend is not going well so far. A lot depends on the weather tomorrow, it is sure to be very hot, which always affects the rear wheels. Things usually come together for competition, and I trust it will be the same now. I think the new developments are effective, but not all the details have been compiled yet.”
Lewis Hamilton, who finished the 104th of his career, took the ninth practice pole of his career at the Hungaroring, now making him the only qualifying success in the same race. Understandably, the most satisfied of pilots.
I felt everything the moment I crossed the finish line. I screamed so much in the car that I lost my voice. It’s been an amazing year and a half behind us, and it’s amazing to be standing here now, because the team has worked so hard for it. To be honest, I feel like my first pole position right now. A big thank you to the fans, who are amazing here in Budapest every year.
I didn’t think I would be fighting for first place today, but I gave my all from the very first moment. The whole team has had an amazing roller coaster ride lately, but we never lost faith, we pulled together and we never lost faith. There was quite a difference between the blends in terms of vehicle balance, but I think all three worked. The lesson was how to prime the tires. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight. Tomorrow we’ll certainly be pushing just as hard for victory, but it’s going to be very difficult to keep those two guys behind,” he said after qualifying, noting he didn’t want to criticize the new system, but only suggested on Friday that the number of dry-weather tires should not have been cut.
