Mercedes’ seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton secured the 104th pole position of his career in qualifying for Sunday’s Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix.
Lining up alongside him on the front row will be Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen, with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri locking out the second row of the grid. Zhou Guanyu set the fifth fastest time for Alfa Romeo ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in sixth and Valtteri Bottas in the other Alfa in seventh. Fernando Alonso qualified eighth for Aston Martin, ahead of Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull, while Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Qualifying told in some pictures and faces:
The starting grid for tomorrow’s race will be as follows:
Row 1:
Lewis Hamilton (GBR, Mercedes)
Max Verstappen (NED, Red Bull)
Row 2:
Lando Norris (GBR, McLaren)
Oscar Piastri (AUS, McLaren)
Row 3:
Zhou Guanyu (CHN, Alfa Romeo)
Charles Leclerc (MON, Ferrari)
Row 4:
Valtteri Bottas (FIN, Alfa Romeo)
Fernando Alonso (ESP, Aston Martin)
Row 5:
Sergio Perez (MEX, Red Bull)
Nico Hulkenberg (GER, Haas)
Row 6:
Carlos Sainz (ESP, Ferrari)
Esteban Ocon (FRA, Alpine)
Row 7:
Daniel Ricciardo (AUS, Alpha Tauri)
Lance Stroll (CAN, Aston Martin)
Row 8:
Pierre Gasly (FRA, Alpine)
Alexander Albon (THA, Williams)
Row 9:
Yuki Tsunoda (JPN, Alpha Tauri)
George Russel (GBR, Mercedes)
Row 10:
Kevin Magnussen (DEN, Haas)
Logan Sargeant (USA, Williams)
The 38th Hungarian Grand Prix will be held on Sunday with a 15:00 (3:00pm) CET start time. The Hungaroring circuit lap length is 4.381 kilometres and drivers will complete a distance of 306.663 kilometres in the 70-lap race.
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix contract extended till 2032
The Hungaroring’s contract to host the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix has been extended by five years until 2032, Adam Schmidt, the state secretary for sports, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Zsolt Gyulay, chief executive of Hungaroring Sport, the organiser of the Hungarian Grand Prix, said on Saturday. Schmidt told the press conference that the Formula One Group had made the extension conditional on a full upgrade for the Hungaroring by the 2026 race.
The Hungaroring today morning:
He said the plan was to close the public procurement procedure for the upgrade by the end of the year and start preparatory works in early 2024, adding that the new contract had been signed by Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky. The Hungarian Grand Prix has been a fixture on the F1 calendar since 1986, making the Hungaroring the second oldest track behind Monza to host races without interruptions, Schmidt said.
Domenicali said F1 wanted to see the commitment and effort to upgrades displayed by Hungary at every venue. Gyulay said the Hungaroring would undergo a complete upgrade by 2026, including the pitlane and paddock building, the main grandstand and the fan zone. Ticket sales show that the 2023 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend is expected to be attended by more than 300,000 people.
Friday free practice session on Hungaroring:
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