Live: F1 Hungarian GP updates: FP3 and qualifying

F1 begins its final double-header before the summer break at the Hungaroring which hosts the 11th round of the 2023 season, with Red Bull still unbeaten this year.

Max Verstappen is on a run of six consecutive wins, and eight in total this season, to push out his F1 world championship lead to 99 points over team-mate Sergio Perez.

But the big talking point coming into this weekend has been the return of Daniel Ricciardo who has replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri for the rest of the season.

Friday's running was topped by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with no Red Bulls in the top 10 at the end of a day complicated by a lack of dry laps.

Saturday's action begins at 11:30am BST with FP3, with qualifying taking place at 3pm BST.

By: Lewis Duncan, James Newbold

Summary


	Summary: - Hamilton takes first pole since Jeddah 2021 as Mercedes ends its 2023 pole drought - Verstappen's pole streak dating back to Monaco ends as he has to settle for second, while McLaren locks out row two - Zhou takes best-ever fifth for Alfa after topping Q1 as F1 trialled new qualifying format requiring teams to use specific compounds in each segment - Sainz misses Q3 and starts 11th, Russell dumped out in Q1 and starts 18th - F1 returnee Ricciardo outqualifies AlphaTauri team-mate Tsunoda and reaches Q2 in 13th
	Leaderboard Hamilton, Mercedes Verstappen, Red Bull Norris, McLaren Piastri, McLaren Zhou, Alfa Romeo Leclerc, Ferrari Bottas, Alfa Romeo Alonso, Aston Martin Perez, Red Bull Hulkenberg, Haas

Status: Stopped

18:17 We're shutting up shop on the live blog for now, but make sure to keep an eye on the site for all the follow up and reaction from qualifying in the coming hours. As ever, thank you so much for joining us. We'll be back tomorrow on the live blog for what promises to be a thriller as Hamilton attempts to take the fight to Verstappen. Sound familiar?

18:16 Plenty of talking points to come from this qualifying session you feel, from verdict on the format shakeup, to the prospect of a team beating Red Bull in a race for the first time all season. If you'd bet on anybody to do it, a fired-up Hamilton anxious to end his longest winless spell would be as good as they come...

18:16 In case you missed any of the action from a thrilling qualifying spectacle, here's the full report on Lewis Hamilton taking his first pole since Jeddah 2021: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-hungarian-gp-hamilton-snatches-pole-from-verstappen/10498679/

18:14 No prizes for guessing who will be the most frustrated man in the Hungaroring right now. Russell knows what it's like to qualify a Mercedes on pole in Hungary, and Hamilton's Q3 pace will no doubt rub salt into the wound of his Q1 exit. Can he recover from 18th on a track that is notoriously difficult to make ground on?

18:10 The dynamic in Formula 1 has certainly shifted in recent races. Aston no longer appears to be the closest team to Red Bull, and it's unclear who currently holds that mantra. Mercedes becomes only the third different team to snare pole this year, but McLaren is now becoming a threat week-in week-out.

18:07

18:06 Alonso clocked in eighth with Perez only able to muster ninth, while Hulkenberg rounds out the top 10.

18:06 Another team to enjoy a bumper day at the office was Alfa Romeo. Fifth is comfortably the best grid spot for Zhou, whose previous best was ninth, while Bottas was seventh - just behind Ferrari's sole Q3 representative Leclerc.

18:05 Verstappen's run of pole positions comes to an end at five, while Norris and Piastri made it a good day for McLaren by locking out the second row.

18:04 Remarkably, that means Mercedes remains unbeaten in qualifying at the Hungaroring dating back to 2019. After Russell's Q1 demise, who could have seen this coming?

18:03 Pole for Hamilton is his 104th in F1 and his first since Jeddah in 2021. It's been a long wait for the seven-time champion!

18:02 "Get in there! Let's go boys," yells a pumped up Hamilton over the radio. That's the first pole position for Mercedes this season.

18:01 It's pole for Hamilton! He's fastest by 0.003s as the grandstands go beserk.

18:01 Norris improves and is just 0.082s shy of Verstappen, who doesn't lower his time. What can Hamilton do?

18:00 As the flag comes out, Leclerc moves above Alonso to fourth.

17:58 Out of the pits they come then, for one final time today. Can anybody topple Verstappen and end his run of poles stretching back to Monaco in May?

17:55

17:55 Everybody back to the pits now for a fresh set of boots before their final runs. Four different cars in the top four as it stands, with 0.431s between them, and just 0.126s splitting the top two. It's close, you know.

17:54 Perez is shuffled back to fifth ahead of Leclerc, then Bottas, Hulkenberg, Piastri and Q1 hero Zhou tenth.

17:53 But here comes Verstappen, and he sails into the top spot on a 1m16.612s. Hamilton also usurps Norris and manages a 1m16.738s to go second after the first runs.

17:52 And sure enough, Norris does find it. He posts a 1m16.904s to go fastest, with Alonso slotting into second on a 1m17.043s.

17:51 The Mexican's opening gambit is a 1m17.142s, but that only just edged out what Norris managed on mediums in Q2. More time to be found.

17:50 Now we're on the soft tyres, will normal service be resumed? Perez kicks off the first flying laps.

17:49 We're go for Q3. Time to shine.

17:47 Red Bull hasn't topped a session all weekend thus far, but now is as good a time as any to do it. After Alfa Romeo headed Q1 and McLaren Q2, whose turn will it be next?

17:46 For Perez it marks a first Q3 appearance since Miami. That does feel like a lifetime ago. Can he make the most of it as everybody switches to softs?

17:45 Ricciardo sounds chipper (shock) despite missing out on Q3 as he's wheeled back into the garage, and signs off his radio message with "thank you" as he pledges to keep learning. Not a bad return at all for the Aussie as he puts one over on Tsunoda at the first time of asking to line up 13th.

17:44 So Norris it was who ended Q2 on top ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen, with Bottas an excellent fourth for Alfa Romeo in the lead Ferrari-powered car. Piastri was next up ahead of Leclerc and Hulkenberg, then Perez, Zhou and Alonso.

17:42 Sainz, Ocon, Ricciardo, Stroll and Gasly are the quintet that miss out on Q3. Just 0.002s split Sainz and compatriot Alonso in 10th, the Aston driver sneaks in by the skin of his teeth. "Ah, come on," groans Sainz as he's informed of the gap.

17:41 Bottas springs up to fourth ahead of Piastri and Hulkenberg. That pushes Sainz into the drop zone, and he's unable to rescue himself! The Ferrari man won't make the top 10 shootout.

17:40 As the checkered flag comes out, Hamilton moves into second.

17:40 Hulkenberg springs up from tenth to fourth. Will that guarantee a Haas in Q3?

17:39 All bar Norris and Verstappen are currently on track trying to secure their passage to Q3. Who will be the five disappointed faces?

17:38 Verstappen is two tenths shy of Norris, but his first legal effort is enough for second and should see him comfortably through. That pushes Ocon into the danger zone with less than two minutes to go.

17:36 Verstappen is alone on the track as he begins his final run. Will the clear track yield a benefit?

17:35 Bottas, Ricciardo, Gasly, Stroll and Verstappen are the drivers at risk as it stands of missing Q3, with the Red Bull man the only one yet to set a (legal) time.

17:34 I can't honestly remember the last time I saw a McLaren 1-2 on the timing screens midway through qualifying. But it has a familiar ring to it, doesn't it?

17:32 A 1m17.328s from Norris therefore leads the way. Q1 pacesetter Zhou is sixth as it stands.

17:32 That means Norris now heads the timesheets from Piastri and Perez. Stroll is another to fall foul of track limits after a wobble at Turn 12 took him beyond the white line.

17:31 As we hear the Bottas-Stroll impeding incident at Turn 13 will be investigated after the session, Verstappen goes top on a 1m17.296 - only for it to be deleted for running too wide at Turn 5.

Follow the live action as the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix continues on Saturday.

Summary

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