Qualification: Alonso on pole, suspense ahead of Red Bull in Hungary!

To everyone’s surprise, Fernando Alonso clinched pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the tenth race of the season. The Spaniard outpaced the Red Bull Renaults of Vettel and Webber during a very eventful Q3 qualifying session… Massa, the unfortunate victim of an accident, was airlifted in stable condition while the other drivers had to deal with the whims of the timing equipment.

The track hasn’t been at its best level of grip since a storm last night, but the weather conditions are perfect for the single-seaters. It’s hot, and surprisingly, it’s Alonso who takes pole today, the first for Renault since the 2006 season. The car is probably light on fuel, but the performance mostly suggests a return of the diamond to the forefront. The Spaniard is ahead of the two Red Bull Racing drivers and is therefore first in a Renault trio, second of the season.

The drivers completed their final qualifying laps without knowing their position. The timing software stopped working at the end of Q3. As soon as the drivers parked, they shared their times with each other to determine the pole-sitter and a provisional ranking. It was only after 5 minutes that the FIA – the International Automobile Federation – officially announced the qualifying standings.

Hamilton made a strong impression throughout the weekend and, being no less fueled than usual, secured a good 4th place. He was a few thousandths faster than Nico Rosberg in the Williams. The other McLaren, driven by Kovalainen, is also well placed in 6th. Kimi Räikkönen is 7th in the Ferrari. He is ahead of Jenson Button, who places Brawn GP far from the Red Bull Racing, rivals in the championships. Ross Brawn’s team faced several issues, with Barrichello’s underperformance, only 13th, and the ongoing investigation by the track stewards on the Brazilian’s BGP01. He lost a part during his last Q2 lap; a spring from the left rear suspension arm, which then hit his compatriot Massa’s helmet. The Ferrari driver had just qualified for Q3 when the mechanical part struck his helmet at 256 km/h. Initially unconscious, the driver is now conscious but was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Budapest. He is therefore 10th and last in Q3 without a time.

Toro Rosso received an all-new car this weekend. The STR4 is transcended and without Bourdais, Buemi still manages to enter Q2 and secure 11th place, benefiting from the choice of his strategy. He is far ahead of his young and new teammate, Jaime Alguersuari, who finishes his first F1 qualification in last place and in the gravel for likely mechanical reasons.

Note the 15th place of Piquet, which contrasts with the pole position of his teammate Alonso at Renault, while Force India is 17th and 18th, respectively with Fisichella and Sutil. The German, moreover, started his qualifying five minutes before the end of Q1, a victim of a problem on his VJM02 during testing this morning. He managed only 8 laps where his direct competitors did 14. BMW disappoints by still failing to enter Q2…

The qualifying session was of course marked by Massa’s serious accident. The organizers decided to delay the third and final part of the session by half an hour to analyze the incident and secure the track and the injured driver.

At the passing of the green lights, Alonso—likely lighter than his competitors—took pole position. Rosberg, Vettel, and Hamilton overtook him, but the Iberian reclaimed pole position once more, this time definitively, despite issues with the official timing displays.

Results of the Qualifying – Hungarian Grand Prix – Saturday, July 25, 2009: