Mixed emotions for Force India pair following qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix

While Hulkenberg did make it into Q3, he said he was not satisfied with his final effort after a self-inflicted mistake ruined his run.

Di Resta meanwhile said trying to secure decent track position forced him to push too early and spoiled his chances.

"I'm happy to be in the top ten but not satisfied with my quick lap in Q3," Hulkenberg explained. "I tried too hard and made a mistake, got some dirt on my tyres and couldn't recover the lap.

"It's a bit frustrating because my laptime from Q2 would have been good enough for sixth on the grid.

"So I'm a bit disappointed, but at the same time I'm focussing on the positives because we looked competitive during the session. Now we need to do the same in the race and pick up points."

Di Resta echoed the German's sentiments, adding: "I think there was more potential in the car today, but I couldn't get the laptime when it counted during Q2.

"The main issue was trying to find track position and I had to push very hard on my out lap to make some space, which probably took too much out of the tyres. It's a shame because we were very quick in Q1 and the car has been working well here.

"We can still have a good race, but it won't be easy with the high temperatures and the fact that it's never easy to overtake here."

Team principal Vijay Mallya admitted both drivers hadn't quite got the maximum out of the car during qualifying.

"We showed good pace today, but we didn't quite maximise our performance when it mattered," he said. "The good news is that we've shown that we have a quick car here in Budapest and hopefully we can demonstrate that again tomorrow when it really counts."