Despite Red Bull’s upgrades, it was the McLaren drivers who once again dominated the qualifying round for the Hungarian Grand Prix. As a result, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will lead the pack tomorrow at the Hungaroring. The question on everyone’s lips is, who can halt the Woking team’s momentum?
Perhaps Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, who have positioned their cars right behind the orange frontline on the grid, could pose a challenge. Verstappen, in particular, will pull out all the stops to prevent McLaren from gaining further ground in the championship. However, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, the future teammates starting from P5 and P6, had higher expectations from the qualifying round. A strong start could quickly wash away this bitter aftertaste. Therefore, keep a close eye on the first few turns, as they will aim to strike in the initial lap.
Behind them, we find an exciting mid-engine mix with both Aston Martins, both VCARB’s, Nico Hülkenberg, and Valtteri Bottas. On this short, twisty circuit, drivers can make themselves quite wide, and they will undoubtedly do so in an attempt to finish in the points.
Pérez and Russell at the Back of the Pack
The rear of the pack includes a number of usual suspects, among whom Sergio Pérez now finds himself. Once again, he struggled in the qualifiers and failed to advance beyond Q1. The pressure is mounting, and it may not be a question of if, but when he will have to surrender his RB20.
There were a few major surprises at the tail end of the field: George Russell (P17) and both Alpine drivers (P19 and P20). All three fell victim to strategic errors in the qualifiers following the red flag situation in Q1. As a result, they were unable to improve their times even as the track got faster and faster. Given their speed, a comeback is certainly possible during the race, but finishing in the points will be no easy task on a track like the Hungaroring.