Skip advert
Advertisement

Hamilton takes pole in Hungary

Lewis Hamilton will start the Hungarian Grand Prix from pole, having qualified ahead of Romain Grosjean and Sebastian Vettel

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has secured pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, after a dominant performance in qualifying.

The McLaren driver went into the session as the firm favourite, having been fastest in Friday practice, and his final lap of Q3 was more than four-tenths of a second faster than Romain Grosjean in the Lotus. This is the 2008 champion's third pole position at this track.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Reigning-world champion Sebastian Vettel will start from third, alongside Jenson Button in the second McLaren. Kimi Raikkonen will start fifth.

Fernando Alonso's one and only lap of Q3 was good enough for sixth, while his teammate Felipe Massa will start seventh alongside Pastor Maldonado.

Bruno Senna made it into the final qualifying session for the first time this season. He will start the race from ninth, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg.

The biggest shock of the day was Mark Webber. Despite being second in the championship and fastest in the morning's final practice session, he narrowly missed out on a place in the top 10. That said, starting 11th does mean that he will be allowed to choose which tyres he starts the race on, which will give him an advantage.

Paul di Resta will start 12th, ahead of Nico Rosberg and the Saubers, while Michael Schumacher will start all the way down in 17th.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

The Toro Rossos have also struggled so far this weekend. Jean-Eric Vergne is in 16th, but Daniel Ricciardo failed even to make it out of Q1, despite using up a set of soft tyres.

Lotus' Vitaly Petrov was again out-qualified by teammate Heikki Kovalainen, while rookie Charles Pic beat Timo Glock. HRT drivers Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan will share the back row of the grid.

All drivers qualified within the 107 per cent requirement, which means 24 cars will start tomorrow's race.

2012 Hungarian Grand Prix grid

PositionDriverTeamTime
1Lewis HamiltonMcLaren-Mercedes1'20.953
2Romain GrosjeanLotus-Renault1'21.366
3Sebastian VettelRed Bull Racing-Renault1'21.416
4Jenson ButtonMcLaren-Mercedes1'21.583
5Kimi RaikkonenLotus-Renault1'21.730
6Fernando AlonsoFerrari1'21.844
7Felipe MassaFerrari1'21.900
8Pastor MaldonadoWilliams-Renault1'21.939
9Bruno SennaWilliams-Renault1'22.343
10Nico HulkenbergForce India-Mercedes1'22.847
11Mark WebberRed Bull Racing-Renault1'21.715
12Paul di RestaForce India-Mercedes1'21.813
13Nico RosbergMercedes1'21.895
14Sergio PerezSauber-Ferrari1'21.895
15Kamui KobayashiSauber-Ferrari1'22.300
16Jean-Eric VergneSTR-Ferrari1'22.380
17Michael SchumacherMercedes1'22.723
18Daniel RicciardoSTR-Ferrari1'23.250
19Heikki KovalainenCaterham-Renault1'23.576
20Vitaly PetrovCaterham-Renault1'24.167
21Charles PicMarussia-Cosworth1'25.244
22Timo GlockMarussia-Cosworth1'25.476
23Pedro de la RosaHRT-Cosworth1'25.916
24Narain KarthikeyanHRT-Cosworth1'26.178

107 per cent time: 1'27.519

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Formula One Exhibition London: deep dive and tour with F1 Champion, Damon Hill
Mercedes W09 on display at London F1 Exhibition

Formula One Exhibition London: deep dive and tour with F1 Champion, Damon Hill

Former F1 World Champion Damon Hill shows us around a celebration of the greatest sport on Earth
Features
13 Sep 2024
New F1 movie: plot, cast, 2025 release date, Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton roles
Formula One car - side action

New F1 movie: plot, cast, 2025 release date, Brad Pitt and Lewis Hamilton roles

A new trailer has been released for the upcoming Formula One film
News
8 Jul 2024
Lewis Hamilton joins Ferrari: F1 ace to swap Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025
Lewis Hamilton sitting next to a trophy

Lewis Hamilton joins Ferrari: F1 ace to swap Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025

It’s the end of an era in Formula One as Lewis Hamilton agrees to leave the Mercedes-AMG team at the end of the 2024 season
News
2 Feb 2024

Most Popular

Ford Capri review
Ford Capri - front

Ford Capri review

This is no sports car, nor even a retro reboot – rather a capable, refined and well-built EV that happens to sport a controversial name
In-depth reviews
29 Oct 2024
Car deal of the day: Skoda Octavia vRS Estate is all the car you’ll ever need for only £287 a month
New Skoda Octavia vRS estate - front cornering

Car deal of the day: Skoda Octavia vRS Estate is all the car you’ll ever need for only £287 a month

A fun to drive family favourite offers immense value for money at under £300 per month in today’s deal of the day
News
29 Oct 2024
New Dacia Duster 2024 Hybrid review: electrical assistance suits superb small SUV
Dacia Duster Hybrid - front

New Dacia Duster 2024 Hybrid review: electrical assistance suits superb small SUV

The first ever Dacia Duster Hybrid is a hit from behind the wheel, but better options exist in the small SUV’s range
Road tests
30 Oct 2024