Lewis Hamilton broke the circuit lap record and drew level with Michael Schumacher for another feat on Saturday as he claimed a record-increasing 90th pole position for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
The six-time world
champion clocked a stunning time of one minute and 13.447 seconds on his second
run in final qualifying to finish just ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas as
Mercedes reeled off their 65th front-row lockout.
It was Hamilton’s
second successive pole of the COVID-19 delayed season and a Schumacher-equalling
seventh pole at the Hungaroring, where he seeks his eighth victory to draw
level with another Schumacher achievement for wins on the same track.
Schumacher won
eight times at the French Grand Prix.
“I have to pinch
myself,” said Hamilton. “It doesn’t register. It’s quite humbling because I
work with an incredible bunch of people who do an amazing job here and back
home.
“And Valtteri doesn’t
make it easy for me. It takes perfection to do laps like that so this is one of
the things I enjoy most.”
Bottas said he
expected it to be close. “We seem to be on another level, pretty far ahead of
the others. My laps were ok, but I couldn’t go faster really.”
Behind the two ‘black
arrows’, the controversial ‘pink Mercedes’ of Racing Point were third and fourth
with Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez ahead of a much-improved showing by
four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc for Ferrari.
“I am very happy at
the moment,” said Stroll. “Was strong all the way through qualifying, the whole
weekend, really.”
Red Bull disappoint
Max Verstappen was
a disappointed seventh for Red Bull, Lando Norris eighth ahead of his McLaren
team-mate Carlos Sainz with Pierre Gasly, in his 50th Grand Prix, 10th
for Alpha Tauri.
On a cool, damp
afternoon at the Hungaroring, where blazing sunshine has been the norm over 35
years, the air temperature was 19 degrees and the track 28.6 as the session
began.
The Q1 action
produced drama and suspense, the track evolution – as the temperature fell—creating
faster times right to the final seconds.
This resulted in
the two Racing Points snatching first and second places ahead of Hamilton’s
Mercedes, with Perez leading Stroll in the ‘pink panthers’ private duel.
Out went Kevin
Magnussen of Haas, Daniil Kvyat of Alpha Tauri, Romain Grosjean in the second
Haas, Antonio Giovinazzi and his Alfa Romeo team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, four of
them powered by Ferrari engines.
For the first time
since the 2018 Italian Grand Prix, Williams saw both cars through to Q2, George
Russell winding up in ninth place. “That’s a lap! That’s a lap!” he shouted
aloud on team radio.
In Q2, Hamilton was
soon on top with 1:14.261, pursued by Bottas, two-tenths adrift, both running
on medium compound tyres while behind them, on softs, Vettel and Verstappen led
the chase.
Leclerc jumped to
third in the final seconds as Daniel Ricciardo of Renault failed to make the
top-10 shootout along with the two Williams of Russell and rookie Nicholas
Latifi, Esteban Ocon in the second Renault and Red Bull’s Alexander Albon.
The luckless
London-born Thai driver complained on team radio: “Sorry, guys, but I told you ‘Don’t
put me in traffic’.”
He had earlier
struggled with his car’s balance and handling, problems that the team intended
to solve during a ‘night’ shift on Friday.
In Q3, Mercedes
again set the pace with Hamilton breaking the track lap record and the 1:14
barrier with a lap in 1:13.613 and Bottas three-tenths adrift on their opening
runs.
Stroll was third
quickest ahead of Verstappen and Norris before the ultimate laps saw Vettel and
Leclerc move up to fourth and fifth for Ferrari ahead of the final dramas.
Stroll and his
Racing Point team-mate Perez managed to jump the Ferraris, but Hamilton and
Bottas reasserted Mercedes’ supremacy.