Trulli blames rain for ruined lap
Renault's Jarno Trulli was the unluckiest man on track after finding himself driving through a shower on his flying lap at the Hungaroring on Saturday. The Italian blamed the rain on his disappointing lap which saw him qualifying a lowly ninth place

"The brief rain shower ruined my qualifying lap," he said. "The first sector was dry, and I was very quick, then I got to the second sector and felt that the car was sliding more because it was damp. The lack of grip caused my mistake in the chicane at turns six and seven, and then I tried to be as quick as possible in the final sector. I didn't expect to be ninth on the grid in Hungary, and I think it will make tomorrow's race a tough one for me."
Team-mate Fernando Alonso showed the true pace of the car having run his flying lap earlier in the session. The Spaniard, who was on pole at the circuit last year, had to settle for fifth place this time though, a disappointment considering the team's optimism ahead of the weekend.
"The grip levels of the circuit changed a lot for me between the first and second sessions, which was a bit of a surprise," he said. "I attacked as hard as possible, but after my lap I had the impression that it could have been better. The R24 was well-balanced and it handled very well. If I can make a good start from fifth position, then I think we can have an interesting race."
Engineering chief Pat Symonds added: "Although we clearly need more performance at this circuit, the result in qualifying is by no means bad and both of our cars will start from the clean side of the grid. Fernando found the car balance to be good and the grip much better in the final session, such that he perhaps did not get the best from the package. However, I do not think this affected his position.
"Jarno was extremely unlucky, and he encountered the first rain shower we have seen here during a session of the Hungarian Grand Prix in eighteen years."

Baumgartner Aims for Home Race Finish
Post-Qualifying Press Conference - Hungarian GP

Latest news
Dennis singles out Jaguar as Porsche's biggest Formula E threat
Jake Dennis says Porsche cannot let off its development of its Gen3 Formula E powertrain, and singled out Jaguar as a threat to the German manufacturer in the coming rounds.
Verstappen buoyed by new handling characteristics of 2023 F1 tyres
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is hopeful the new Pirelli tyres will help further dial out the inherent understeer of the current generation of cars.
Pastrana adds NASCAR Truck Series race to Daytona programme
Travis Pastrana has added the season-opening NASCAR Truck Series race to his appearance at Daytona International Speedway this month.
Turkington continues with WSR BMW for 2023 BTCC season
Four-time British Touring Car champion Colin Turkington will bid for a fifth title in 2023 with the West Surrey Racing BMW squad, the team confirmed on Wednesday morning.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
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.