Lewis Hamilton raised the prospect of springing a surprise pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix after finishing fastest in final practice.
The seven-time world champion ended the concluding one-hour running before qualifying at the Hungaroring 0.250 seconds clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Verstappen, who has won eight of the 10 rounds so far and six in succession, complained about the handling of his Red Bull.
Hungaroring always delivering the mega track shots. 📸🖤 pic.twitter.com/7pdRUBmJ9F
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 22, 2023
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“There is no f****** grip,” said the frustrated two-time world champion over the radio.
Sergio Perez took third spot in the other Red Bull, 0.263 sec adrift of Hamilton, with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and McLaren driver Lando Norris fourth and fifth respectively. Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell finished sixth three tenths back.
Hamilton only finished 16th on Friday, describing his machine as “at its worst”. But the 38-year-old, who has won more times at the Hungaroring than anybody else and captured his first victory in Mercedes colours at this venue a decade ago, led the way on Saturday to suggest he might be a contender heading into the remainder of the weekend.
Useful learnings from final practice in Budapest. Next up, Qualifying. 👏 pic.twitter.com/8J6lZ9le2V
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 22, 2023
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Elsewhere, Daniel Ricciardo, back on the grid as a replacement for Nyck De Vries, clocked the 18th quickest time. His new AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was 20th and last.
Qualifying for Sunday’s 70-lap race starts at 4pm local time (3pm BST).
