Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will be starting on the front row together for the first time since Abu Dhabi 2021.
Lewis Hamilton believes he has a good opportunity to stop Max Verstappen’s winning run in the Hungarian GP, as both drivers aim to break Formula 1 records.
In a thrilling qualifying session, Lewis Hamilton secured pole position, beating Max Verstappen by a mere 0.003s. This achievement not only marked Hamilton’s 104th pole position overall but also made him the first F1 driver to claim nine poles at a single track. It was his first pole since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.
Hamilton is aiming for his ninth Grand Prix win and has not won a race since December 2021.
Red Bull currently holds the opportunity to make history as they aim to win 12 consecutive races in Formula 1, matching McLaren’s long-standing record of 11 wins.
Assessing his chances of ending his victory drought, Hamilton said: “We tend to have decent race pace. Max’s race pace [in Friday practice] was I think quite extraordinary, I think they were quite a bit quicker than us.
“But if there’s a way to hold position, then maybe there’s a fighting chance for us, but just even being up there in the top three, we’re going to have a great race – that’s for sure.
“I’m as keen [to win] as I was when I won my first GP in 2007 in Montreal.”
Hamilton added to Sky Sports F1: “They (Red Bull) have slowed down quite a bit from the beginning of the year. Look at DRS, they don’t have the advantage they used to have – where did that go?
“They had an upgrade so we would have expected them to take a nice step, we heard it was around two tenths or something like that.
“For them to not extract that for Qualifying is interesting. But I think in the race they are still the quickest. They will be very hard to beat.”
Verstappen initially seemed on track to secure his sixth consecutive pole position in Formula 1. However, Hamilton managed to seize the opportunity and claimed pole position instead.
The Dutch Red Bull driver is not satisfied with the car’s balance during qualifying but remains optimistic about extending their winning streak. He believes that starting position is not crucial for achieving success on Sunday.
“Normally when Mercedes are quick on a Saturday, they are also strong on a Sunday because their car is normally also good on tyres,” said Verstappen, who won last year’s Hungarian GP after starting 10th.
“But from our side, if you have the pace, it honestly doesn’t really matter where you start, if it’s P10 or P2.
“I’m happy that I start P2 because it’s definitely a lot easier in the beginning of the race to stay out of trouble normally.
“If the car feels good, if we have good balance, good tyre deg, then we have a chance of course to win.
“I don’t expect it to be a very straightforward race. I expect us to be quick, but around here it’s not easy to pass, especially when you are quite closely matched in pace.”
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