Hungary – Qualifications: Hamilton out of reach

Q1:

The Mercedes don’t waste any time and are the first to leave their pit. Hamilton then makes a strong impression: he clocks a time one second faster than his teammate Nico Rosberg, and this on medium tires.

The other single-seaters try to imitate them but cannot match their lap times, except for Vettel who comes between the two Silver Arrows, and also Ricciardo, who shortly after is “only” four-tenths of a second behind Hamilton. At first glance, the Red Bulls have reason to worry the Ferraris tomorrow.

McLaren had to battle against Sauber to reach Q2. While Alonso managed to climb to 14th place, granting access to Q2, Button could only achieve the 16th best time, ahead of Ericsson and Nasr. The latter mentioned in an interview that the electronic power was lacking.

The eliminated: Button, Ericsson, Nasr, Merhi, Stevens.

Q2:

The session begins with a fleeting clash between the two Ferrari drivers, with Valtteri Bottas lying in wait. Fleeting because after about eight minutes, Fernando Alonso’s McLaren becomes immobilized in front of the pit lane entrance, causing a red flag. Bringing the car back to the pits with the help of the marshals will be pointless: without a timed lap, Alonso is already eliminated.

Once the green flag was waved, ten drivers, including Hamilton, didn’t set a single time. That will change: once again, he sets the fastest time. Four-tenths separate the two Silver Arrows. In theory, no one is able to beat him for Q3.

On the other hand, Romain Grosjean managed to deliver a great performance by getting his Lotus into the top 10. He is ahead of Nico Hülkenberg by just 19 thousandths.

The eliminated: Alonso, Hülkenberg, Sainz, Perez, Maldonado.

Q3:

Once again, it is the Mercedes who start before the others. Nico Rosberg sets the first reference time… only to be immediately beaten by an all-powerful Lewis Hamilton. Then come the Ferraris. Vettel is classified 3rd, a position he will not leave. Räikkönen, classified 4th, will lose this position to Daniel Ricciardo. Despite the timid performance of his teammate Kvyat (7th), the Australian confirms the return to form of the Red Bull since the beginning of the weekend.

Rosberg’s second attempt is better, but not enough: this lap will only allow him to achieve the best time in the first sector. As the standings gradually solidify, Lewis Hamilton drives the point home and improves his first time by three tenths. For now, the Brit’s weekend is absolutely perfect, and it’s hard to see how Rosberg could defy the odds.