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Formula 1
Hungarian GP
F1 Hungarian GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP3 & Qualifying
Saturday's action from the 11th round of the 2023 Formula 1 season
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.
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Stroll now goes second, 0.186s down on Perez. Together with Ocon, who is third, the trio are the only drivers to set a lap thus far.
Perez gets the ball rolling with a 1m17.675s. The timing screens have noted an impeding incident involving Bottas and Stroll. We'll inform you once we hear more.
An interesting dimension to the qualifying now is that those who had to run again to ensure Q2 progression won't have burned up all-important tyres needed for the subsequent session. In that sense, it levels the playing field somewhat as those able to get it right first time don't see a benefit later.
Lights green
As experiments go, I thought that one was pretty good. Now to see what Q2 throws up on the mediums as the green light turns on at the pit exit.
Joining them in Q2, which takes place on the mediums don't forget, are Gasly, Bottas, Stroll, Ocon and returnee Ricciardo.
Sainz ended Q1 in fourth ahead of Leclerc, with Piastri, Hamilton, Alonso, Hulkenberg and Norris completing the top 10.
And so it was Zhou who ended Q1 on top. Anybody see that coming? He ensures Verstappen's wait to top a session this weekend goes on, the runaway championship leader just behind him in second with Perez third.
Russell is 18th and left to rue being caught in traffic in the final sector. He, like Hamilton, had to come to a stop on approach to the last corner, then had cars on hot laps coming through that he had to let through. Magnussen and Sargeant, who had a scruffy moment at the chicane, also miss out on Q2.
Ricciardo makes it through to Q2 in P15, just edging out Albon as Tsunoda fails to make the cut in 17th. 1-0 to the Australian in the new AlphaTauri qualifying battle.
Hamilton pulls a lap out of the bag to go seventh, but Russell isn't so lucky. Last year's poleman will start 18th!
Checkered flag
There's the flag, and Hulkenberg vaults up to eighth. Has he done enough?
Hamilton has to come to virtually a complete stop approaching the final corner to build a gap to the cars ahead, which won't do wonders for his tyre temperature. Albon is 16th at present ahead of the seven-time world champion, Magnussen, Sargeant and Hulkenberg.
One run left, and Hamilton finds himself in the drop zone. Worse, he's in traffic coming up to start his final flyer.
Sainz now escapes looming danger by moving up ahead of Leclerc. So Zhou currently heads Perez - but Norris loses his time for a snap of oversteer at Turn 5 and drops from third to 13th.
Leclerc looks to be out of trouble as he springs up to third, but is swifly bumped down a spot by Norris. Things are changing rapidly now as it seems the track is evolving even with hard rubber laid down on it.
Stopwatch
Where did that come from? Zhou was on the bubble in 15th but now pops up in first! It's a 1m18.143s for the Alfa driver, which demotes Perez who had briefly taken top spot.
Things aren't looking too rosy at Ferrari. In addition to Leclerc, Sainz is only P13 and will be looking over his shoulder.
Improvements from the AlphaTauris meant Leclerc was on the bubble, and now Ocon has jumped up to fifth, putting the Ferrari man into the drop zone in 16th! Gasly shows Alpine's pace on the hards is no fluke by going second to Verstappen.
Ricciardo is also safe as it stands. The F1 returnee moves up to eighth. That means in the drop zone currently we have Stroll, Hulkenberg, Sargeant, Ocon and Magnussen.
Tsunoda has launched up to fourth. That's the kind of thing Helmut Marko wants to see from his man. It's a 1m18.919s for the AlphaTauri driver.
It was fun while it lasted. Verstappen now usurps Bottas for the top spot with a new benchmark of 1m18.658s. The Alfa man remains second though, ahead of Perez.
Quote
"Let's stay calm, but come on!" grunts Leclerc. He's languishing in 12th at the moment, sounding rather un-calm.
Bottas goes quicker again! It's a 1m18.775s for the Finn, which stretches his advantage at the top of the times. His pace may not translate onto the softer tyres as we progress through qualifying, but a very encouraging start for Alfa.
Both Williams are yet to put a lap on the board due to track limits infringements. They're currently in the drop zone along with Sainz and the AlphaTauris, Tsunoda ahead of Ricciardo for now.
Who had an Alfa Romeo going fastest on the first runs down on their bingo card? Not me. Bottas's time continues to hold for now, with Perez now his closest challenger having usurped Verstappen.
Time to get the track limits klaxon out. Magnussen is the first driver to fall foul and have a lap deleted for running wide at the long Turn 5 right-hander.
The Alfa Romeos are going well - Bottas launches into first on a 1m18.818s which withstands Verstappen's first effort that is 0.074s slower. Bottas is fastest in sector one too, and Zhou the best through sector two.
Stopwatch
Ocon punts in the first time of 1m19.658s but that's swiftly beaten by Perez on 1m19.292s.
It will be interesting to see strategically how teams play this. Normally, you can only do one quick lap on the softs - but will teams put more fuel in to aid tyre warmup for a couple of hard laps in a row?
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Just to remind those of you wondering why times will have dropped off so much from FP3 to Q1...
Green flag
And we're green for Q1. Alpine driver Esteban Ocon is first to venture out.
It was announced under an hour ago that the Hungaroring will remain on the calendar until 2032 following the circuit's latest contract extension, which will include renovation works. Here's the latest on that: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-extends-hungarian-grand-prix-contract-to-2032/10498613/
Tsunoda had the edge 8-2 on rookie de Vries in qualifying this year, but 2014 Hungarian GP winner Ricciardo was the quicker of the pair in FP3 - albeit with the Aussie in 18th and Tsunoda 20th. On that form, they may be among those at risk of dropping out in Q1, but could either spring a morale-boosting surprise?
This is the first chance to see Daniel Ricciardo in qualifying action since Abu Dhabi last year. Can the returning Australian vindicate Helmut Marko's decision to ditch Nyck de Vries by outpacing his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda at the first time of asking?
In theory, teams with more downforce should be able to switch their tyres on best, but qualifying on hard tyres is unheard of territory for most, so Q1 will be one to follow with interest. It gets going in a little under 10 minutes time, so grab some biscuits and get comfy.
It's part of a trial that was due to be introduced for Imola, but had to be postponed when that event was cancelled by the regional flooding. Could it lead to a scalp in Q1 if one of the fancied teams struggles to switch on its hard tyres?
There is a very noteworthy difference to qualifying this weekend. That's because teams must use hard compound tyres in Q1, mediums in Q2 and softs in Q3.
Sun
After yesterday's rain, there seems no danger of a repeat today. Air temperatures are 26.1 °C, with track temperatures of 45.9 °C.
Could we see a return to form of Aston Martin this weekend? Fernando Alonso has good form in Hungary, the scene of his first pole and win in 2003. He also topped qualifying in 2009 with the bulky Renault R29, that year's seventh fastest car, admittedly thanks to a light fuel load when cars had to qualify with the fuel they'd start the race with.
Verstappen's last pole in Hungary was way back in 2019, so is something of an anomaly during Red Bull's recent period of dominance. Mercedes has earned qualifying bragging rights in each of the last three years, with Russell's inaugural pole last season aboard the troubled W13 perhaps the most surprising of the year.
By: Autosport Staff
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