Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen start on front row together for first time since Abu Dhabi 2021; watch the Hungarian GP live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday, lights out is at 2pm; F1 Juniors will be live on Sky Showcase and Sky Sports Mix from 1.30pm
Sunday 23 July 2023 12:24, UK
Lewis Hamilton feels he has a "fighting chance" of ending Max Verstappen's winning streak in Sunday's Hungarian GP with F1 records on the line for the Mercedes driver and Red Bull.
Hamilton produced a brilliant final lap in qualifying to snatch pole away from Verstappen by just 0.003s. In doing so, the seven-time world champion became the first F1 driver to claim nine pole positions at a single track, while it was his 104th overall and first since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.
Hamilton has not tasted victory in F1 since that December 2021 race, but a win on Sunday would also see the 38-year-old become the first driver to win a single Grand Prix nine times.
Meanwhile Red Bull are seeking to become the first F1 team to win 12 consecutive races, having equalled McLaren's 35-year-old record of 11 last time out at Silverstone.
Assessing his chances of ending his victory drought, Hamilton said: "We tend to have decent race pace. Max's race pace [in Friday practice] was I think quite extraordinary, I think they were quite a bit quicker than us.
"But if there's a way to hold position, then maybe there's a fighting chance for us, but just even being up there in the top three, we're going to have a great race - that's for sure.
"I'm as keen [to win] as I was when I won my first GP in 2007 in Montreal."
Hamilton added to Sky Sports F1: "They (Red Bull) have slowed down quite a bit from the beginning of the year. Look at DRS, they don't have the advantage they used to have - where did that go?
"They had an upgrade so we would have expected them to take a nice step, we heard it was around two tenths or something like that.
"For them to not extract that for Qualifying is interesting. But I think in the race they are still the quickest. They will be very hard to beat."
Verstappen had initially looked set to claim a sixth successive pole position as he topped Q3 after the first runs but was unable to improve on his next lap which opened the door for Hamilton.
The Dutchman was unhappy with the balance of his car throughout qualifying but remains confident of extending his and Red Bull's winning streak if he feels more comfortable on Sunday, saying it does not matter where he is starting from.
"Normally when Mercedes are quick on a Saturday, they are also strong on a Sunday because their car is normally also good on tyres," said Verstappen, who won last year's Hungarian GP after starting 10th.
"But from our side, if you have the pace, it honestly doesn't really matter where you start, if it's P10 or P2.
"I'm happy that I start P2 because it's definitely a lot easier in the beginning of the race to stay out of trouble normally.
"If the car feels good, if we have good balance, good tyre deg, then we have a chance of course to win.
"I don't expect it to be a very straightforward race. I expect us to be quick, but around here it's not easy to pass, especially when you are quite closely matched in pace."
Mercedes' struggles for outright pace since F1's technical revolution at the start of last year means Sunday will be the first time Hamilton and Verstappen line up together on the front row of the grid since their 2021 world championship decider in Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton and Verstappen's on-track battles have on several occasions resulted in contact between the pair which adds greater intrigue to the first lap at a circuit where overtaking can be difficult.
"It will come down to the start and we know there's a bit of history between those two. As long as they make it through the first couple of turns, we should have a good motor race," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports F1.
"Track position here is a bit like Monaco without the barriers. Once you have track position it's hard to overtake here so it comes down to strategy."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said of the upcoming opening lap battle: "I think [it will be] good fun. None of them has something to risk or to lose.
"They will be for sure racing each other at the beginning and it's great. Lewis I'm sure will give it everything he has to put up a great fight.
"But we also need to stay realistic. [Red Bull] were just in a league of their own on the long runs [Saturday] morning and also [Friday].
"But it's motor racing, everything can be different [on Sunday]. Maybe we have a car and a driver in the best state of mind to fight against them, and the McLarens who were strong at Silverstone."
Waiting to pounce on any errors or aggro from Hamilton and Verstappen will be the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who line up third and fourth on the grid respectively.
McLaren's upgraded MCL60 has continued to show good form at the Hungaroring despite Norris' fears heading into the weekend that the team would be unable to be as competitive as they were at Silverstone where he finished P2 and Piastri P4.
Norris admits it will be a stern test to get past the Mercedes and Red Bull but is ready to capitalise on any mistakes.
"Mercedes are very good starters, Lewis included, so to get them off the line is going to be a challenge," Norris said.
"I think they're consistently one of the best started on the grid, so to get a jump on him is going to be difficult.
"If Max can do what he did at Silverstone, that would be wonderful. It changes every weekend, I just need to focus on getting a good start myself, focus on my own job, and we'll see from there.
"Mercedes are always good in the long run. With them, it's going to be tricky and with Max as well, I think he just wasn't the happiest today. So if he gets in a better rhythm, he might just return to his usual form and make everyone look silly a bit.
"But we're in a good place with good pace today. I think the long run pace is pretty strong, so if I can get a couple of positions off the line, then that's ideal."
Sunday July 23
7:20am: F3 Feature Race
9am: F2 Feature Race
11am: Porsche Supercup
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday - Hungarian GP build-up
1:30pm: F1 Juniors: Hungarian Grand Prix (Sky Sports Mix and Sky Showcase)
2pm: The HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: British GP reaction
5pm: Ted's Notebook
Daniel Ricciardo's return and first F1 Juniors broadcast headline the Hungarian Grand Prix! Watch all the action live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Stream the Hungarian GP and more with NOW for £21 a month.
