What the teams said – Qualifying in Hungary

Ferrari

Leclerc joked on Thursday that this is his worst F1 track. But he was left speechless after grabbing a shock pole in Budapest. The Ferrari man was four-tenths off McLaren in FP3, with Ferrari’s pace deserting them at the start of Qualifying as he had to fight to get out of Q1 and Q2. But as the conditions changed in Q3, Leclerc was able to adapt the best and nailed his final flying run to steal his first pole of the season. For all the jubilation on Leclerc’s side of the garage, there was only disappointment on Hamilton’s as he exited in Q2 at one of his most successful tracks, cutting a disconsolate figure afterwards.

Charles Leclerc, 1st, 1:15.372

"Qualifying was extremely difficult today. Q1 and Q2 were really tricky. I was on the limit in both sessions, the grip kept changing throughout Q2, I was on the lower end of downforce and when it started to rain, I wasn't sure I'd make it to the final session. In Q3, I knew I needed a clean lap to go for P3, but I never thought it was enough for pole. I'm really happy with my lap and it's probably the most unexpected pole position of my career.

"It's a big boost for the team. Everyone has been pushing very hard to bring upgrades and take steps in the right direction, so this result shows that we are doing something right. Tomorrow, the start and turn 1 will be key. I will do absolutely everything to keep first place and if we manage to keep the two McLaren behind at that point, it should make our job for the rest of the race a bit easier."

Lewis Hamilton, 12th, 1:15.702

"Clearly a massively disappointing day and being on the wrong side of a tenth cost me. Congratulations to Charles and the team. It shows what can happen when things align. I’ve got a lot of work to do and will remain focused on that."

Fred Vasseur, Team Principal

"This was not an easy pole as we struggled in Q1 and Q2 to get the tyres in the right window and we were not far off having both our cars out in Q2. Conditions were changing massively, with even some rain in Q2. Then in the end, Charles found the way to put the tyres in the right window and the correct spot on the out lap. It was a mega lap and it’s a very positive performance seeing that the delta between P10 and P1 is so small. Lewis was very close to Charles and failed to make the cut but just 15 thousandths of a second. He will definitely have a tough time in the race. As for tomorrow, we saw yesterday that we had a strong and consistent pace over a long run even compared to McLaren. For the race, we must focus on ourselves, have a good strategy and the right approach for the tyres. If we do that, we can have a good one as our race pace is generally stronger than our quali pace."

McLaren

After Norris topped yesterday’s session, Piastri returned the favour in FP3. It looked to all the world that those two had set up a two-way fight for pole, especially when they topped the timing sheets in Q1, Q2 and after their first runs in Q3, with the Australian just having the edge in the top-10 shootout. But on their second set of soft tyres, neither McLaren driver could improve at the rate of Leclerc, both blaming the changing, swirling wind conditions. Although they both improved it was not enough and Piastri had to settle for second on the grid as Norris finishing marginally behind in third.

Lando Norris, 3rd, 1:15.413

“A second-row start tomorrow. The wind changed a lot during the session, which seemed to punish us at the very end of Q3. Well done to Ferrari and Charles, he did a good job on the last lap. In Q2 we saw how quick we can really go, so I expect us to have more pace tomorrow, and that’s where the points are. I’m looking forward to it.”

Oscar Piastri, 2nd, 1:15.398

"A slightly disappointing end to an otherwise strong Qualifying session. The wind just caused us more problems in Q3, especially in the last sector, which meant we weren't able to find more pace. It's a tough circuit to overtake on, but there's rain due tomorrow, so we'll see what impact that has. Our car has great race pace, so I think we can go forward."

Andrea Stella, Team Principal

"Today’s Qualifying was an interesting session. We saw competitive, good lap times from both Oscar and Lando in Q1 and Q2. While the performance of the car looked like we were in a strong position to challenge for Pole, the variable conditions with a change of wind and a drop in temperature meant that we couldn't replicate that pace in Q3.

“Well done to Ferrari and Charles Leclerc for adapting to the changing conditions and managing to go a little bit faster in Q3, securing Pole position. We now have a bit more work to do than anticipated in tomorrow’s race, but we can be confident in the challenge ahead as the car's race pace is competitive."

Mercedes

There were mixed fortunes at Mercedes in Budapest, with Russell impressing with a late charge up the timing sheets. Antonelli had looked the faster of the two in FP3, but as the rain fell in Q2, Mercedes sent him out on used tyres. His banker lap time was not quick enough and he had to go again – only to lose his second lap time to track limits, although it still would not have been enough to make Q3. Considering he still had two sets of fresh tyres, it looked to be a strategic mistake from the Silver Arrows. But Russell’s experience came to the fore as he took advantage of the rapidly cooling conditions to grab fourth on the grid, just half a tenth from pole.

George Russell, 4th, 1:15.425

"It’s always frustrating to come so close to pole but not quite manage to grab it. With that said, I would have taken being just 0.05s off P1 in qualifying ahead of the weekend. Pole position was definitely in reach today. I made a mistake which cost me a tenth and without that, we would have been looking at the front-row. My final Q3 lap was also not my best lap of the session so there was more pace on the table.

"We saw today how big a factor the changing weather conditions and temperature were. It is likely that will also be something we see in tomorrow’s race. It’s been encouraging to see the step forward we have taken following the changes we’ve made here too. That, and starting from the second row, should provide us with an opportunity to fight for the podium tomorrow. It will likely be an interesting battle."

Kimi Antonelli, 15th, 1:15.782

"I’ve felt much more confidence in the car and in myself this weekend. I felt good going into qualifying and Q1 went smoothly. It is annoying and frustrating therefore to get knocked out in Q2. I came out of the final corner to start my last lap and felt less grip with the rear tyres than on my previous effort. That became worse throughout the lap so it’s likely we were a bit too hot on the tyre temperatures. We definitely had the pace to get through to Q3 and fight near the front of the grid. We will need to look through the data and understand how we can improve next time.

"Tomorrow is a new day though and we will explore how we can fight back into the points. The weather forecast is mixed, and we will be prepared for all scenarios. We had good pace on our long run in FP2 and hopefully we can use that to good effect."

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

"We are both pleased and frustrated after Saturday in Budapest. Pleased with the step we have made with the car here this weekend but frustrated knowing that P4 and P15 doesn’t accurately reflect the pace we’ve shown.

"George looked like he was going to take pole position on his last lap in Q3. Unfortunately, a small snap of oversteer cost him some time and that left him P4, despite only being 0.05s slower than the Ferrari of Leclerc. Starting from the second row gives us a good opportunity to fight for the podium tomorrow though.

"For Kimi, it was a more difficult session. He has rebuilt his confidence with the car in practice and continued that into Qualifying. Unfortunately, he fell just the wrong side of a tight bunch in Q2 and that stopped him from fighting nearer the front like George. Whilst he is understandably disappointed, the step forward he has taken here in Hungary is pleasing. We will look to help him battle through the field tomorrow and get into the points."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

"We have made progress with the car this weekend and that showed today in our qualifying performance. We looked competitive from Q1 and were able to extract lap time in those earlier stages when the track temp was near 50°C, but also in the final moments of Q3 when it was 15°C cooler. It is therefore frustrating that our headline positions of P4 and P15 don’t necessarily accurately reflect that overall level of performance. With Kimi, he was unlucky to get caught out in Q2, but he can be encouraged by the step forward he has taken here in Hungary. For George, but for a moment of oversteer in turn one, he could have been looking at P1.

"Despite coming away frustrated today, the points are scored tomorrow. Overtaking is not easy here but with the usual levels of tyre degradation we see here, there are still opportunities to make progress. With George, it will be a challenge to fight for the podium given we have two McLarens ahead but that is certainly our intention. On Kimi’s side, we will look to use the solid pace we have seen from him here to gain positions and fight for a decent points haul."

Aston Martin

Aston Martin’s strong pace continued from yesterday, with both drivers finishing in the top 10 in final practice. Hopes were therefore high heading into Qualifying, and neither Alonso nor Stroll disappointed. They both made Q3 with ease, just one of three teams to get two cars into the top 10. Opting to come out very early for their second runs, both drivers nailed their laps to wind up ‘best of the rest’ in fifth and sixth, with the Spaniard just 0.017s ahead of his team mate.

Fernando Alonso, 5th, 1:15.481

"It seems the layout and characteristics of this track suit our car much better, and we need to try to understand this.

"The wind direction changed in Q3 and made the track slower, so we couldn't match the times of Q1 and Q2.

"We decided to run in the middle of the session in Q3 to avoid any other wind changes and we were close to pole position, so I think this decision worked well for us.

"If we can finish fifth and sixth tomorrow that would be a great result heading into the summer break."

Lance Stroll, 6th, 1:15.498

"Strong result for the team today – especially after such a tough weekend in Spa just a few days ago.

"The car was just a lot of fun to drive in Qualifying. It was super tight: we missed pole by a tenth and it's great to be starting from P6 tomorrow.

"The track really seems to suit the car and, with the conditions today, it all came together and everything was in the sweet spot for us.

"Let's see what happens tomorrow, but it's nice starting further up and we'll see what we can do. Hopefully we're in a position to score some points. We'll fight for sure."

Mike Krack, Chief Trackside Officer

"Fifth and sixth on the grid in Budapest is a good result – well done to the entire team here and back at the AMR Technology Campus: everybody has played their part.

"Fernando and Lance did an excellent job and the car has been competitive since the start of practice yesterday. Now we need to deliver a strong result in the race, too. When you start on the third row of the grid in Hungary, you always have a good chance of scoring points because overtaking is so difficult.

"There will be lots of strategy discussions overnight and we need to execute well tomorrow."

Kick Sauber

After a tough Friday that resulted in the team breaking the curfew, both Kick Sauber drivers looked strong in FP3. But only Bortoleto was able to carry that form into Qualifying, with Hulkenberg disappointed after exiting in Q1 – not that lowly grid slots have stopped him from a strong run of recent results. Bortoleto was the man to watch though as he made Q3, and once there out-qualified Verstappen’s Red Bull with seventh. That is his best qualifying slot of the year, and sets up a tilt at a third points finish in the last four races.

Nico Hulkenberg, 19th, 1:16.081

"There’s no hiding the fact that today’s result is disappointing, especially considering how strong the car felt throughout the practice sessions. From the first laps yesterday, the balance was encouraging, and even in FP3 this morning, I felt confident pushing. But once we got into Q1, the car behaved quite differently – the rear grip just wasn’t there, particularly in the high-speed corners. That shift in balance was something we hadn’t seen all weekend. We now need to dig into the data and understand what changed. The team has made good progress recently, and the feeling in the car has generally been positive, so it’s important we get to the bottom of this and make the right calls for tomorrow."

Gabriel Bortoleto, 7th, 1:15.725

“I’m incredibly happy with how qualifying unfolded today. After a challenging start to the weekend where we lacked pace and confidence in the car, we worked hard to address the issues causing that and made strong progress. Securing a spot in Q3 and finishing P7 - my best result so far in Formula 1 - is a great milestone for both the team and me. It’s been a season of learning, as expected in a rookie year. Every session is a chance to grow, and I couldn’t do it without the amazing team around me. They push me, support me, and we’re making steps forward together. Now the focus is on converting this into a strong result in the race.”

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal

“We elected to go into qualifying with a two-run strategy in each session, running new/new tires in Q1, followed by scrubbed new for Q2, and the same for Q3 if we came through. For Nico, the lap time just didn’t come to him, and he ended up missing out on Q2 by a tenth, finishing in P19. If you want an indicator of just how tight the field has become, you have it right there. Q1 saw a strong performance from Gabi, who finished the session in P5 and delivered his fastest lap in qualifying. Moving forward into Q2, Gabi kept our hearts in our mouths at the end, moving up into Q3 by a thousandth of a second and again, showing how narrow the margins are between the drivers. Into Q3, and Gabi delivered a great qualifying performance, placing him P7, the highest race start position of his F1 career. Track conditions evolved during the session with the wind changing direction throughout. Gabi managed that well, which is a good omen ahead of the race tomorrow.”

Red Bull

After working hard overnight, Red Bull initially seemed to have found some pace in FP3. But as the track cooled, that uptick in form fell away and neither driver seemed particularly happy or comfortable. As such, it was not too much of a shock when Tsunoda fell at the first time of asking in Q1 – albeit by just 0.024s. Verstappen was only a tenth and a half ahead of his team mate in Q1, but he just about made it through, without lighting up the timing sheets. Saying his car was behaving as if it were on ice, while the Dutchman then made Q3, he was never in the fight for the front rows and recorded his worst Qualifying of the year.

Max Verstappen, 8th, 1:15.728

“It hasn’t been a great weekend and nothing has really worked throughout. The whole weekend we have been off the pace and struggling for grip and it unfortunately meant that each lap in Qualifying was a struggle. We didn’t have a good balance of the car in the laps and had quite a low grip feeling on the front and rear axel. We tried a lot throughout the weekend and we didn’t get many answers. Nothing made much of a difference, which was strange as we normally get a response when we change the setup of the car throughout the weekend. It wasn’t a great performance, but we did maximise everything that we could and we will investigate further ahead of tomorrow. We didn’t have great pace today and tomorrow it will be tough to pass the cars in front but you never know what will happen.”

Yuki Tsunoda, 16th, 1:15.899

“It's been a frustrating weekend so far for the Team. We've struggled to find pace and the lack of grip cost us time. My team are trying to find the solution, but we just haven't yet. Personally, I can feel reasonable about my performance in Qualifying, I've stayed close to Max all weekend and that’s a positive for myself. I didn't make any mistakes in the session and I only missed out on Q2 by a few milliseconds which, unfortunately, is how it has been lately. We'll see about tomorrow, it's not easy to overtake here but anything can happen with mixed conditions expected. All I can do is keep pushing.”

Laurent Mekies, Team Principal

“We have not had an ideal weekend so far and we have been struggling to get the car in the right window, including in Qualifying. Grip has been an issue, pretty much from the start of free practice. We have tried many things across both cars, with both Yuki and Max and it is fair to say we have not given our drivers the car they wanted. Have we really cracked it? No, but now we have plenty of data help us figure out what the issues are. If we are to improve we must use days like this constructively, to ultimately be better. It’s uncomfortable but you can learn from these situations. Yuki was knocked out of Q1 by only a couple of hundredths, and he was actually quite close to Max in both his runs, but we just didn’t have performance in the car. Max made it quite impressively through to Q3, despite our struggles and where he qualified is probably a true picture of where we are this weekend so far. We have a lot of work ahead of us to unlock the performance, but we will keep fighting and tomorrow will be a very different set of conditions. We are potentially going to have high temperatures in the race and we will see what we can do. We will be racing at a very impressive new look Hungaroring and we must credit the incredible work done here to completely transform the race track in just one year, with new garages, grandstands and a total overhaul. Well done to everyone involved, it’s a super venue to go racing in.”

Racing Bulls

Hadjar spun in final practice, wrecking his soft tyres and leaving him without a low fuel Qualifying simulation lap. But that did not affect him in Qualifying, as he made the top 10 for the second race in a row. Lawson joined him there, opting to run twice in Q3. Hadjar ran just the once and it seemed to cost him as his team mate found a better rhythm to grab the bragging rights, to the tune of around a tenth of a second.

Isack Hadjar, 10th, 1:15.915

“It was a positive session overall for the team, but the changing conditions didn’t help. The car has felt good throughout the weekend, and everything was going well up until Q3. Then the wind picked up significantly, which made things tricky. I made a mistake and ended up in the grass, and after that, the car wasn’t as enjoyable to drive. I only went for one attempt in Q3, but there was definitely more potential, we could have got P7. Our race pace looks solid for tomorrow, so starting from P10, I’ll need a strong start and a good strategy. I’m ready to fight for points.”

Liam Lawson, 9th, 1:15.821

"It's good to be in Q3, particularly given it's been quite a difficult weekend so far, so it was a great recovery. The conditions changed a bit through Quali, so it's a shame we missed out on a couple of spots. Qualifying is important here and the car has been very good recently, particularly with our pace in the long runs. It's very close at the moment and difficult to overtake here, so the aim is of course to have a strong start, look after the tyres and stay in the points tomorrow."

Tim Goss, Chief Technical Officer

“A great Qualifying session for both Liam and Isack today. Our car has been strong in Budapest from the first session on Friday, however we knew we would have to extract some more pace before Qualifying. For FP3 we worked further on the set-up to get a little more rotation in low-speed corners, and a little more stability high-speed. The balance improved and we trusted that with some subtle changes for track conditions, we had everything in place. Both drivers drove fantastic laps to put themselves into Q3, but the slightly windy conditions made it difficult to deliver a similar lap time and we finished P9 and P10. Our long run place looks good from second practice, and we go into tomorrow confident of a good points finish.”

Haas

Like his former team mate Gasly, Ocon has seemed to struggle here – despite this being one of his favourite tracks. As such, his early exit in Qualifying was not a massive surprise. Bearman looked to have top 10 potential in Q2, but wound up 11th, the position he has finished the last four races in. He was just 0.007s away from making the top-10 shootout, but still has a very good chance of scoring – especially if any rain arrives to add some chaos to tomorrow’s Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon, 18th, 1:16.023

“It was a disappointing session really, especially after that lap, I was expecting more. We need to investigate exactly why, as in Spa we were performing well, but here after FP1 we’ve struggled quite a lot to have decent performance. It shouldn’t be the case, but I was happy with my performance and my lap. It’s disappointing to be that far down the order, so we need to give it a better shot of understanding and getting a read on the issue.”

Oliver Bearman, 11th, 1:15.694

“There were tough conditions out there, it became overcast and there were drops of rain on the first run in Q2, and I didn’t quite put the lap together. Whenever you see raindrops on the visor, it gets a bit scary but also the track felt very different between runs, and I think I struggled to adapt really. I’m certainly optimistic though as the car felt good, I had a good feeling, and I have high hopes for tomorrow.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal

“Qualifying was very tight. In Q1, Esteban wasn’t completely happy with the car in certain corners, and that’s where he lost time. In the last two corners, he was actually quicker than Ollie, so he was almost there. He was happy with his lap, but not happy with the car, so we need to understand that. Ollie did a good job in Q1, getting into Q2. Conditions then changed a bit, he dealt with it very well in the first run, but then in the second run, there were very fine margins and he made a small mistake - enough to be out. It’s pretty disappointing because, at least on Ollie’s side, the feeling is good and the car is good enough for Q3. It’s difficult to overtake here, but we’ll do everything to get back into the points tomorrow.”

Williams

Williams lacked pace in FP3, their car seemingly not suiting this track. As such, they threw three sets of tyres at each car in Q1 in a bid to make it into the next segment. Sainz pulled a late lap out of the bag to make Q2, but Albon could not, and he propped up the field. The Spaniard had to run used tyres in Q2 which did not help his cause, and he did not come close to making the top 10 on a day when some of Williams’ rivals scored very, very good grid positions. That lead in fifth in the championship might not feel so rosy tonight.

Alex Albon, 20th, 1:16.223

"We knew it was going to be a tough track for us here and it’s been one of those weekends where we’ve been chasing it and I haven’t felt that comfortable in the car. We went back to the FP1 car for Qualifying as that’s where I felt it was most predictable, but maybe the track has evolved since then. We were too slow on the outlap, then there was a bit of rear tyre degradation and other things, so it was a bit scrappy. It’s going to be tricky from P20 but maybe we will get some rain. Let’s see."

Carlos Sainz, 13th, 1:15.781

"After our struggles all weekend, I’ll take P13 today although it’s not ideal. We found some grip and put good laps in when it mattered, but it hurts to see we were less than a tenth from Q3. The lap was good, but a bit of traffic and dirty air in sector two probably cost us that extra bit. Anyways, I prefer to keep the positives from today and fully focus on tomorrow. There might be surprises with the weather, so we need to make sure we are ready to take any opportunity."

James Vowles, Team Principal

"A really interesting Qualifying session and we learned a lot today. You can see that the normal ordering of teams just isn't apparent here. We have one Ferrari on pole, the other not making it to Q3. You can see that there's a spread and, I've said this before, but the field is getting closer and closer. For Carlos, the gap between himself and getting through into Q3 was just 90 milliseconds, which is nothing in any world. Carlos did a brilliant job; it was about getting the tyres working and he was able to do so. It was a good effort in terms of trying various outlaps that led to the success of getting into Q2.

"With Alex, we tried a different direction and a different way of working the tyres, and we learned a lot thanks to his efforts. But it will come to us tomorrow. The car in a race condition should be better than where it is today. It also looks like there's rain on the forecast and in that condition, your qualifying place is less important than the ability to get the execution right on the day."

Alpine

Gasly has struggled here from word go, so it was no real surprise when he exited at the first time of asking. His team mate has seemed more comfortable, with Colapinto even briefly flirting with the top 10 in Q1. In the end he narrowly scraped through as others improved late on, but sadly could not find a way into Q3. Nonetheless, he made it out of Q1 for the first time in three races and out-qualified Gasly for the first time since Canada.

Pierre Gasly, 17th, 1:15.966

“It is always disappointing to be out in Q1. We knew going into Qualifying it would be a challenge but, at recent races, we have still managed to put it together and extract the maximum from the car. Today I just could not get the car to do what I wanted. We suffered with a lot of understeer on the lap. At times it felt okay this weekend but it is clear we have been on the backfoot right from the start of the weekend. Maybe there will be some opportunity tomorrow. The weather could be mixed and it will be eyes on the sky once again. We will aim to recover some positions but we know it will not be easy starting so far back.”

Franco Colapinto, 14th, 1:16.159

“I have some mixed feelings after today's Qualifying, as we cannot be completely satisfied with the result or being out in Q2 but I felt much better in the car and more confident, which is a positive step in the right direction. Today was a better day than yesterday, as we have struggled a bit so far up to this point of the weekend. We did a lot of work overnight in the background and the team did well to improve the feeling of the car. It's still not where we want to be and we know we still have work to do to improve on our position and remain consistent. Let's see what tomorrow brings and remain open to all possible variables, as the weather will no doubt once again be a major factor.”

Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor

“A difficult session today with the car falling short of our expectations. Both drivers struggled with similar limitations and it is not often we see Pierre exit in Q1. Credit to Franco who has shown a very good step in performance, this time reaching Q2. We must keep doing more with our overall package to give ourselves a fighting chance for points on a regular basis. It will of course be difficult starting fourteenth and seventeenth tomorrow and we will see how it goes. The forecast for tomorrow is a bit mixed. We will be ready for all scenarios, but a bit of rain might help our chances.”

Pirelli

Mario Isola, Motorsport Director

“It was an incredibly close qualifying session, with the first four covered by half a tenth and the top ten in half a second, which is the best possible prelude to a race that looks like being equally fascinating and spectacular. There’s a good chance the weather could change for tomorrow with the possibility of rain, mainly in the morning but also likely during the race. However, unlike a week ago in Spa, I think that today all the teams have set up their cars for the dry at a track where usually, aero levels are set at maximum. The change in the weather, especially as regards temperatures, could possibly lead to some changes in the pecking order, as was seen in the closing stages of today’s qualifying. All it took was a drop of about ten degrees in temperature, a few drops of rain, and a 90-degree shift in wind direction at key points, such as Turn 5 and the final sector, to mix things up and, more importantly, for lap times to get slower, by half a second from Q2 to Q3.

“We have not yet fully analysed the data so we can only come up with some general observations, namely that the drop in temperature may have affected the warm-up on the preparation lap, and not everyone adapted to the changing conditions.

“If the race is dry, the two-stop strategy using mainly Hard and Medium tyres is clearly the fastest. The one-stop running Medium and Hard could work for those in the midfield aiming to extend their stints by managing thermal degradation, hoping for significantly lower temperatures than those seen yesterday and earlier today. Among the two-stop options, the strategy involving all three compounds cannot be ruled out, starting on Softs to try and make up places early on and then potentially exploiting clean air after the first pit stop. Overtaking is far from easy here and the undercut is highly effective.”