Red Bull: No major issue with Hamilton ‘gamesmanship’ in Hungary Q3
Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner says he has no “major issue” with Lewis Hamilton’s “gamesmanship” at the end of qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.


Mercedes driver Hamilton took provisional pole with his first run in the final stage of qualifying at the Hungaroring, sitting over half a second clear of title rival Max Verstappen in third.
Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas ran ahead of Red Bull duo Verstappen and Sergio Perez as they came to start their final laps, with Hamilton slowing down in the final sector as he prepared his tyres.
The seven-time world champion accelerated heading into the final corner to begin his lap, leaving it late to cross the line. Verstappen managed to get across, but Perez was unable to get through before the session ended, meaning he could not set a time on his final lap.
Hamilton’s final lap in Q3 did not improve on his initial benchmark although was still enough for pole, while Verstappen only found one-tenth of a second, still leaving him third on the grid.
But Red Bull team principal Horner said there were “not really” any gripes from his side about the slow final sector, calling it “a bit of gamesmanship”.
“Lewis has got a hell of a lap in the bank, and then obviously he’s just backing things up, up, up, and he doesn’t want to give obviously our cars a clean run,” Horner said.
“But it’s his right to do that. He’s got the track position. We haven’t got a major issue. It’s all about tomorrow now.”

Pole man Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, arrives in Parc Ferme
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
Asked if Red Bull would have done the same the other way around, Horner replied: “I think we’ve have probably focused more on the preparation of our tyre, because you can see his lap time was nowhere near his [best] qualifying time.
“He was obviously more interested in what was going on behind. But that’s part of the game.”
Perez held on to fourth despite not getting a second lap time, and explained to Sky Sports after qualifying that Red Bull thought he had “plenty of margin” to make the flag.
“Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and that meant that I basically lost my final attempt,” said Perez, who like Verstappen will start on the soft compound tyre due to concerns that they would not progress through Q2 on the medium.
“I think I had a good amount of time left in the car. We did some adjustments, and here is a place where if you get one corner right, there's just plenty of lap time in it, because there's so many corners.
“It's a big shame. At the end, we have a good starting position for tomorrow. But yeah, we knew Mercedes was going to be very strong.
“So I really hope tomorrow we are able to put a lot of pressure onto them.”
Related video

Verstappen: Q2 soft tyre switch prompted by lack of F1 pace
Verstappen blasts 'ridiculous' question on further Hamilton clashes

Latest news
Diriyah E-Prix: Wehrlein holds off Dennis to charge to victory
Pascal Wehrlein made up eight places in the Diriyah E-Prix to take victory, holding off a late assault from Jake Dennis to take his second Formula E win.
GT3 Corvette Z06 unveiled for customer teams in 2024
Chevrolet has revealed the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R a year before it makes its competition debut at the 2024 Daytona 24 Hours.
Daytona 24: Cadillacs lead BMW in fourth practice
In the GTP teams’ penultimate practice ahead of the Daytona 24 Hours, Alexander Sims put Action Express Racing Cadillac on top from Ganassi, while Nick Yelloly lifted his BMW to third.
How women are tackling barriers in motorsport
Women’s participation in motorsport has hugely increased in recent years, with series such as W Series and Extreme E providing invaluable support for female drivers.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 ‘holiday’ races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week and, although it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.