Ferrari claim first Hungary pole since 2005 and lockout front-row; Both McLarens in the top ten; Sky F1's Di Resta 19th
Monday 31 July 2017 11:26, UK
Sebastian Vettel stormed to pole position for the Hungarian GP as the world championship leader topped a Ferrari front-row lockout ahead of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
Vettel's stunning lap of 1:16.276 set a new track record at the Hungaroring as the four-time world champion claimed his 48th F1 career pole position.
Lewis Hamilton, chasing a record-equalling 68th pole position of his own, was just fourth after abandoning his first top-10 shootout run and frequently complaining of vibrations from his tyres.
Vettel leads the Drivers' Championship by a single point from Hamilton ahead of the final race before the summer break.
"It's great but especially after the talk after the last race, which was a bit much," he said in a pointed response to criticism of Ferrari after the British GP. "We give the answer on the track."
Sky F1's Paul di Resta, called up less than an hour before the start of qualifying to replace the unwell Felipe Massa, was 19th in a Williams car he hadn't previously driven.
Di Resta: Formula 1 return 'unreal'
In a highly respectable effort, the Sky Sports pundit split the two Saubers and lapped within a second of team-mate Lance Stroll as both Williams cars fell at the first hurdle.
Ferrari reveal pace to impress
While Sunday's Grand Prix has been depicted as a must-win race for Ferrari over Mercedes given expectations that the Hungaroring would suit their shorter-wheelbase car, Vettel's pole was the team's first at Budapest in over a decade.
Having flown under the radar in Friday practice when the Red Bulls appeared to have stolen a march on their rivals, Ferrari's full potential was unfurled on Saturday morning to ominous effect when Vettel produced a new track record to beat the faltering Mercedes by over a second in Practice Three.
Hamilton briefly offered hope that he could challenge Vettel when he set the fastest time in Q2 but then ran off track at Turn Four on his opening Q3 lap as Vettel produced a 1:16.276 that ultimately secured pole with two tenths to spare.
Vettel didn't improve on his final run and appeared vulnerable to a late push from Raikkonen only for the Finn to make a mistake in the middle sector. "I felt like I had it comfortably but I couldn't really finish it," the Finn bemoaned.
Ferrari haven't won since May's Monaco GP, when Vettel led home Raikkonen, but are ideally placed to sign off in style for their summer holidays.
"All day Ferrari has been just too quick for us," conceded Bottas.
A downbeat Hamilton admitted: "It's not been the easiest, most straightforward weekend. Getting past the Ferraris will be almost impossible unless they have problems."
Di Resta swaps Sky F1 commentary box for Williams cockpit
While the battle for the pole remained qualifying's lead act, Di Resta's last-minute call-up offered a narrative just as dramatic.
Although Massa had been passed fit following a hospital check-up on Friday night having complained of dizziness, it quickly became clear during Practice Three, in which the Williams veteran completed just 12 laps, that he would be unable to continue.
But not quickly enough for Di Resta, the team's official reserve driver and who had started the day expecting to commentate on qualifying alongside David Croft for Sky F1, to enjoy any time before the start of the session as the Williams team frantically adjusted a car which had been set up for one of the grid's shortest drivers for one of the tallest.
The upshot was the Scot driving the Williams FW40 for the very first time at the start of qualifying as he grappled with the dual task of familiarising himself with a brand-new car whilst striving to find competitive pace.
In the circumstances, 19th was a highly commendable effort in which Di Resta improved with every flying lap.
Di Resta: Return absolutely unreal
"I'm not going to lie, I was scared, nervous, anxious," Di Resta told his Sky F1 colleagues afterwards. "I've not driven one of these cars for three-and-a-half years, apart from 10 laps I did in a 2014 car, and then you get thrown into qualifying which is the deepest of all deep ends - it's like jumping off a cliff and seeing how you fight for survival."
Rare glimmers of hope for McLaren and Palmer
Once Nico Hulkenberg's grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change has been factored in, the grid for Sunday's race will assume a 'Noah's Ark' complexion with two Ferraris followed by a pair of Mercedes, a couple of Red Bulls and a brace of McLarens.
The sight of both McLarens - led by birthday boy Fernando Alonso, who turned 36 on Saturday - in the top ten marks a rare moment of relief for the beleaguered fallen superpowers. It is an opportunity, however, they dare not pass up. The team, mindful that the power weakness of their Honda engines will not be exposed around the tight and twisty Hungaroring, have identified this weekend as their best chance of the year so far to climb off the bottom of the Constructors' Championship and will be desperate for a trouble-free Sunday.
Hulkenberg's demotion, meanwhile, means that the German will line up behind Renault team-mate Jolyon Palmer as the under-pressure Englishman seeks his first points of 2017.
But for Hulkenberg's unfortunate penalty, Palmer would remain the only driver yet to out-qualify his team-mate in any session this weekend.
Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat also fell foul of the stewards after the session when the Russian was demoted three places and handed two penalty points after being adjudged to have impeded Stroll. As a result, Kvyat is now within two penalty points of a full race ban.
* Hulkenberg to receive five-place grid drop due to gearbox change.
** Kvyat demoted from 13th to 16th for impeding Stroll.
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