Hamilton dances in the rain to take pole
Briton produces brilliant last lap to finish ahead of teammate Bottas
Lewis Hamilton again showed he is untouchable in the rain, producing a brilliant last lap to take pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas yesterday.
Mercedes head of motorsport Toto Wolff could hardly believe it as he watched from the team motorhome, clutching his head in disbelief as Hamilton beat Bottas’s time to secure a recordextending 77th pole position in difficult track conditions.
Just moments earlier, Mercedes’s Formula One rivals Ferrari were 1-2 with Kimi Raikkonen ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
The scenario changed in a matter of seconds, and Vettel will start in fourth behind Raikkonen. Earlier yesterday, the third and final practice was held in warm and sunny conditions, but by the time qualifying started there was rain, thunder and even some lightning.
As Ferrari became more cautious, Mercedes stepped it up. “We couldn’t have expected this,” Hamilton said. “The Ferraris were quicker all weekend, but the heavens opened and it was fair game.”
Bottas finished second behind Hamilton at the rain-soaked German GP last weekend, receiving team orders near the end to hold position and not try to attack Hamilton. “We are free to fight, so I’m looking forward to it,” said Bottas, looking ahead to today’s race. Although the Finnish driver regularly insists he is on an equal footing with Hamilton, the widely perceived view is that he is effectively No. 2.
The narrow Hungaroring track, nestled in rolling holes on the outskirts of Budapest, is among the most difficult for overtaking circuits in F1. It is considered more favourable to cars with a strong downforce like Red Bull and Ferrari.
It certainly looked that way when the weather was warm and things were going Ferrari’s way, which explains Wolff’s unchecked delight at the end of qualifying.
Mercedes driver Hamilton beat Bottas’s time to secure a recordextending 77th pole position in difficult track conditions.
Lewis Hamilton admitted on Friday that he and Mercedes are hunting for an overnight solution to their performance problems ahead of the final qualifying. The championship-leading Briton, whose teammate Valtteri Bottas said his car “was difficult to drive”, said the team needed to “dig deep to figure out what changes to make”.
They were fifth and sixth in the second practice led by title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari on Friday.
“The Ferraris and the Red Bulls were quite quick and had a little bit more pace than us, so we’ve got some work to do tonight,” said Hamilton, who has won a record five times at the Hungaroring.
“This is a tricky circuit and the tyres are overheating — looking after the rear tyres is the biggest issue.
“The temperatures today and the layout of the track — corner after corner after corner — made it really tricky for the tyres as there’s no time for them to cool down.
“We will do our debrief and dig deep to try and figure out what changes we make — I hope we’re able to find something tonight and that tomorrow is dry, so we can test whatever changes we make.”
Bottas said: “It was not an easy day. The car was difficult to drive and I struggled to get laps together.
“This is a difficult circuit, you need to have a well-balanced car in order to get all the corners right and we need to get the car more stable.
“It is difficult to overtake here, so track position is very important and the less stops you can do is always going to be better. Red Bull and Ferrari are as quick as expected — it’s going to be very close.”