A new conditioning factor came into play this Saturday in Hungary for the time trial originally scheduled to start at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which had to be canceled due to bad weather. This is an experiment, also carried out in Monza (September), which limits the operational scope of the structures. With this frame, the riders were forced to use the harder tire specification in the first run (Q1), switch to the medium tire specification in the second (Q2) and finish with the softest tire compounds in the third run (Q3). Such a movement opened the door to uncertainty and surprises. Especially with the big teams who avoided rolling hard tires on Friday. Between the rain that fell in the first test and Max Verstappen’s eleventh place, there were some who indicated a small crisis in the Red Buffalo squad. A somewhat justified tremor considering Red Bull have lost a pole position for the first time this season, held by Lewis Hamilton in Budapest (3pm, Dazn). This is number 104 on the Briton’s record as he continues to add to his record and the ninth he added at the Hungaroring, another record that bears his signature.
A year and a half later, the seven-time Mercedes Champion will start again without traffic, thanks to his self-restraint that earned him the best lap despite not being the fastest in any of the three sections of the circuit. At his side will be Verstappen, just three thousandths behind the runner from Stevenage (Great Britain), while Lando Norris will lead the second row, less than a tenth slower than his compatriot. Fernando Alonso starts eighth and Carlos Sainz eleventh in the first appointment of this year 2023 in which he does not qualify for the third quarter.
This punctual reformulation of the format goes beyond timekeeping, as each driver was given a total of 11 sets of tires, two fewer than usual. However, this had a direct impact on Saturday, as there were those who preferred to reserve a few sets and ride less so as not to strategically limit themselves in terms of the race. Especially in relation to the hardest variant (only three games, four for the medium and the soft), which for many performs best in this scenario. And here Verstappen missed his sixth straight pole, although the Hasselt boy will present himself as the main contender for victory, especially considering the speed he displayed on the long laps. That will be on Sunday, but nobody is taking the rush to Hamilton anymore. “I don’t think I breathed the whole round. It’s been a crazy year and a half. The team has worked a lot. I even lost my voice in the car. “I wasn’t expecting to fight for pole position,” agreed the Mercedes man, who has still not renewed his contract with the star’s brand, which expires at the end of the year. The improvement of the W14 will facilitate understanding between the parties, especially considering that the most realistic alternative to the Silver Arrows is Ferrari, which is completely out of focus. “I hope that updating the car means we’re going in the right direction,” added Hamilton.
“I struggled to find my balance all weekend. “We didn’t have the car we’re used to,” summarized Verstappen. “Anyway, a bad day with second place, it’s not that bad,” concluded the Red Bull man.
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