Ferrari are back with a bang as the Mercedes 'diva' returns, Di Resta turns supersub while McLaren improve. Analysing Budapest Qualy...
Monday 31 July 2017 11:24, UK
Forza Ferrari...
They entered the season as underdogs and they have slipped under the radar again in recent weeks. But in Hungarian GP qualifying, Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel were back with a bang.
This event was billed as a 'must-win', and it's easy to see why. Not only have Mercedes taken 159 points to Ferrari's 79 since the Scuderia's last 2017 victory at the Monaco GP, but Lewis Hamilton has cut Vettel's championship lead to just a single point in a seemingly all-conquering W08 prior to this crucial weekend.
With that in mind, this session was the perfect tonic for both team and driver. Vettel led a third one-two of the season with a stonking display, something title rival Hamilton never looked like matching as he struggled three places back.
Track records have been there for the taking in the F1 2017 cars, but rarely has a new fastest time dropped so far below the previous benchmark. Vettel's best - set on his first Q3 run - was more than two seconds quicker than Ruben Barichello's superb lap in 2004.
Not only was it quick, but it was surprising considering Red Bull's pace on Friday and Hamilton's Q2 flier, which at that point had him two tenths clear of Vettel. It looked like Mercedes had timed their best form to perfection.
But not this time.
"It's great, but especially after the talk after the last race, which was a bit much," Vettel said - referencing his seventh-placed finish and Mercedes' dominant one-two in Silverstone two weeks ago. "We give the answer on the track."
Ferrari have gone a long way to silencing their critics, that's for sure. And they also have Antonio Giovinazzi to thank after team boss Maurizio Arrivabene revealed the reserve driver had been working on improving the car's setup and balance back at the Fiorano simulator on Friday night. Whatever he did, it worked.
"In terms of raw pace there was maybe even a bit more," Vettel added to Sky F1. "You don't have these days too often in your life."
The Mercedes 'Diva' returns
Hamilton claimed Mercedes were proving they were the "best team" with their ominous recent form, and though he expected a Ferrari resurgence in Budapest, he surely wouldn't have anticipated the four tenths of a second deficit to Vettel here.
After the dream weekend that was the British GP, this was a shock to the system for the world champions.
When Sky F1's Mark Hughes extensively analysed the up-and-down battle between Ferrari and Mercedes in his pre-race column, one of his conclusions was that a better understanding of the W08 'diva' had helped the Silver Arrows' charge.
But as Hamilton wrestled with his car throughout a scrappy qualifying session - twice running wide at Turn Four as he moaned about the tyres and balance - their 2017 challenger suddenly looked vulnerable again.
"Certainly, it was compromised all over," team boss Toto Wolff told Ted Kravitz.
But it's not over yet...
While Mercedes would have wanted much more than a second-row lockout, it's certainly not as bad as Hamilton made it sound in his post-race interview with Sky F1.
"You can't overtake here - so it's most likely going to be a train unless we can do something on strategy," was the dejected Briton's verdict ahead of Sunday's race.
However, though the Hungaroring is narrow and full of twists and turns, it can also offer up plenty of unpredictability. In fact, the last three drivers to have secured pole here haven't gone on to win the race.
Di Resta takes supersub to new levels
Paul di Resta arrived in Budapest expecting to commentate for Sky F1 as a stand-in for the recovering Martin Brundle.
But come Saturday afternoon he would find himself behind the wheel of a 2017 car for the first time after Felipe Massa's withdrawal after Practice Three due to feeling unwell and dizzy.
Williams reserve driver Di Resta had not taken part in an official F1 session for 1,343 days, when he started the 2013 Brazilian GP for Force India, and his only experience of the hybrid-era car was a brief run in Williams' 2014 edition.
But the 31-year-old produced a sterling effort given the circumstances, as he improved with every flying lap to qualify 19th, just two places and seven tenths down on team-mate Lance Stroll.
His final lap of 1:19.868 was also better than anything Stroll and Massa had managed in the opening three practice sessions.
Improving by an average of half a second a lap, the question is what he may have been able to achieve had he been able to get up to full speed in a practice or test session.
Birthday joy for Alonso as McLaren enjoy improvement of sorts
While they are still nowhere near where they ultimately want to be, Saturday finally offered a crumb of comfort for McLaren as both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne reached Q3 for the first time this season.
The Hungaroring's twisty circuit negates the lack of performance in the Honda power unit and the MCL32 has run in the top 10 in every session so far.
On his 36th birthday, Alonso was three tenths of a second faster than his team-mate as he once again displayed his ability to eke out every bit of performance in his car.
Following Nico Hulkenberg's five-place demotion, Alonso and Vandoorne will line up seventh and eighth on the grid, giving McLaren the incredible opportunity to be 'best of the rest' this weekend.
Now the fallen superpowers will pray for a trouble-free Sunday as they bid to lift themselves off the foot of the Constructors' Championship.
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