Saturday: Rosberg on pole for Mercedes, Hamilton criticized
Beyond Nico Rosberg's pole position, the most notable event of the qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix was a fire on Lewis Hamilton's F1 car. He will start from the pit lane for the race.
Nico Rosberg (no. 6) – 2nd and Pole position
After a qualifying session full of twists and turns, the world championship leader grabs pole position. He states: « It was a very difficult qualifying session today, especially with the rain at the beginning of Q3. It’s hard to judge the best braking point in changing conditions, so I went a bit over the limit at times, especially in turn 1. I was lucky, but in the end, I pulled off the last lap, so I’m quite happy to start on pole. »
Lewis Hamilton (#44) – 1st and No time
Victim of a fire on his F1, caused by a fuel leak, the Englishman could not defend his chances during qualifying and will start from the pits for the race. He will have to make another skillful comeback for the fourth Grand Prix in a row to avoid losing too many points in the world championship standings.
He tells of his misfortunes: « I can’t believe it today, I really couldn’t do anything. There was a problem with the car as I was coming out of the penultimate corner when the engine stopped. I thought we could bring it back to the garage but when I looked in my mirrors, I saw that the whole rear was on fire and it was over. Tonight we will have to look at the damage to the car and see if the gearbox or the engine need to be changed. At this point, it’s beyond bad luck, as a team, we owe it to ourselves to do better. »
