Heavy crashes cause interruptions in F1 qualifying
Two incidents caused interruptions in Formula 1 qualifying at the Hungaroring. Rain made the knockout stage even more challenging. Lando Norris secured the Pole Position for the Hungarian Grand Prix with a time of 1:15.227 minutes, the fastest lap. The British driver will start from the pole position for the second time this year. Teammate Oscar Piastri (Australia) secured the front row for McLaren with second place.
Lando Norris confirmed his strong form and secured the Pole Position for the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Hungary. The McLaren driver set the fastest lap time of 1:15.227 minutes at the Hungaroring. The British driver will start from the pole position for the second time this year.
Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen finished third. A red flag just before the end caused him to exit the car before the time ran out. Norris had been the fastest in the second and third practice sessions and was the favorite for the qualifying. For the first time since 2012, two McLarens will start at the front of the grid. The top three drivers were separated by just 0.045 seconds, promising an exciting race.
Carlos Sainz secured fourth place in the Ferrari, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in fifth place for Mercedes and teammate Charles Leclerc in sixth. Nico Hülkenberg missed Q3 in the Haas and started from eleventh place. He still has chances for points.
Crashes from Perez and Tsunoda
George Russell was eliminated in Q1 and will start from seventeenth place. A crash by Red Bull's Sergio Perez caused a red flag. After the ensuing stoppage, the track was faster, but Russell did not come out of the pits and slipped in the grid order. "We could have been up there," he said in the Sky interview.
Perez crashed early in the previous qualifying session at Silverstone. Since his contract extension in June until the end of 2026, things have gone downhill for him. Rumors suggest that the 34-year-old could be replaced during the upcoming summer break. Yuki Tsunoda (Japan) caused another interruption with a heavy crash just before the end.
Verstappen goes into the race on Sunday (3 p.m./Sky and RTL) with a comfortable lead of 84 points in the championship standings and still has a chance to win. The last time the Pole-Sitter won in Hungary was four years ago. In 2020, Hamilton achieved a start-to-finish victory.
Max Verstappen, despite finishing third in qualifying, expressed disappointment due to the red flag that interrupted his final lap, ultimately leading to his third position. Red Bull Racing's teammate, Max Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris, have shown strong competition in Formula 1, with their teams consistently performing well.
