Hungary – Qualifying: Rosberg on pole amid red and yellow flags
In difficult weather conditions and after a rocky Q1, it was Nico Rosberg who set the fastest time in this qualifying session. He was ahead of Lewis Hamitlon and the two Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.
This morning, it was Nico Rosberg who set the fastest time in the third free practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen’s Red Bull by 0.2 seconds. This suggests a tight qualifying session, especially since a storm hit the circuit just minutes before the session was due to start. The session was postponed several times by race management, eventually starting more than 20 minutes late.
In Q1, the first driver to head out is Felipe Massa with his Williams, and the track conditions remain very tricky. The other competitors also head out very quickly for fear that another storm might break out before the end of Q1.
The first reference is set by Sergio Pérez with a time of 1.41.411, but after only 5 minutes of the session, the race direction decides to show the red flag as the rain made a violent return.
After a period of waiting, the session resumes for the last 13 minutes of Q1 and there’s a rush on the track! Daniel Ricciardo then sets the fastest time of the session at 1:39.968 just as Marcus Ericsson loses control of his Sauber and causes another red flag.
The session resumes once again for the last 9 minutes. The track is drying, and some drivers, like Vettel, Verstappen, and Ricciardo, switch to Intermediate tires. Massa has also made this choice, but the Brazilian touches the wall and is forced to abandon the session. As a result, a new red flag is issued…
There are just over 5 minutes left for the drivers to try to make it through this very eventful Q1. Felipe Nasr holds the best time very provisionally, quickly beaten by Nico Rosberg before… a new red flag is waved following Rio Haryanto’s off at the same corner as Ericsson. This incident ends Q1.
The drivers eliminated in Q1 are: Palmer, Massa, Magnussen, Ericsson, Wehrlein, and Haryanto
The Q2 will take place under the sun. However, the track remains very wet and many areas remain tricky. Vettel sets the first reference time at 1:34.137, taking sometimes surprising “rain” lines, and is quickly beaten by the two Mercedes. Hamilton ahead of Rosberg by 35 thousandths.
But Ricciardo’s Red Bull is the fastest with a 1:32.088. The track is drying out more and more, and times are improving lap by lap. Hamilton takes the best time ahead of Verstappen. Meanwhile, some drivers are switching to dry weather tires. Bottas is the first to set a time with this compound and tops the timesheet with a 1:30.647. But the best time quickly changes hands: Alonso, Pérez, Vettel, Räikkönen, Sainz, Rosberg, and finally Verstappen who claims the top spot in Q2.
Lewis Hamilton had a close call, as he is only 10th after a small mistake on a track where being the last to set a lap time was crucial to being the fastest. In this game, Kimi Räikkönen lost big and will not participate in Q3.
The drivers eliminated in Q2 are: Grosjean, Kvyat, Pérez, Räikkönen, Gutierrez, and Nasr
It is in almost dry conditions that Q3 begins with the top 10 drivers of the session. Nico Rosberg is the first to set a time of 1:20.499, immediately beaten by Hamilton with 1:20.108.
Behind, Sainz and the McLarens of Alonso and Button position themselves while the Red Bulls climb to 3rd and 4th places. Ricciardo almost lost control of his car in the last corner by sliding on a water-soaked kerb. Vettel experiences the same mishap but only manages a disappointing 5th position.
The drivers start their final run and Fernando Alonso goes off the track just as Hamilton had entered his fast lap. The Briton is forced to slow down and end his lap. The McLaren clears the track before the other drivers pass, allowing Nico Rosberg to continue his fast lap and snatch pole position right from under his teammate’s nose.
Rosberg, however, set his time under yellow flag conditions. Although initially concerned by an FIA investigation, the German driver retains his pole position after the stewards confirmed that the Mercedes driver had indeed slowed down.
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION – END OF QUALIFYING
Rain-soaked and action-packed session #HungarianGP #Quali pic.twitter.com/WsTKTfy8aH
— Formula 1 (@F1) 23 juillet 2016
