Lewis Hamilton left it late to snatch top spot away from Max Verstappen in a dramatic qualifying in Budapest – sealing a record ninth pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix and a first P1 start since 2021.
On the final lap in Q3, Hamilton set a time of 1m 16.609s, beating Verstappen by just 0.003s. Lando Norris continued his fine form to take third place, and he will line up on second row alongside his McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri.
READ MORE: Hamilton beats Verstappen and Norris to Hungarian GP pole in qualifying thriller
It was a phenomenal return for the much-improved Alfa Romeo with Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas in fifth and seventh respectively, while the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc slotted in between the pair, with Fernando Alonso eighth.
The other Red Bull of Sergio Perez was ninth, ahead of the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg in 10th. Daniel Ricciardo qualified 13th on his first weekend back on the grid, ahead of his team mate Yuki Tsunoda in 17th, while George Russell was left to rue late traffic in Q1 that left him in P18.
Click on the video player above to relive the highlights from an intense qualifying session at the Hungaroring as we get set to go racing in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
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