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Lewis Hamilton was far from happy with the call by the Ferrari pit wall to go out first during Q3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix, questioning the decision in his post-qualifying comments to David Coulthard.
The seven-time world champion was sitting on provisional pole throughout Q3 for the majority of the 12-minute timed session. Unfortunately, Lando Norris continued to showcase his blistering pace as he claimed the first pole position of his title-defending campaign.
Lando Norris denies Lewis Hamilton pole for the Hungarian GP ⏱️ Who was your star of qualifying?
Hamilton was on-course to take a record-extending 10th pole position at the Budapest-based circuit. In the end, Norris’ benchmark saw him snatch the top spot on the timesheets by just 0.012s.
The result means that the 41-year-old is still searching for his first pole position in Ferrari colours, having claimed an F1 record of 104 front-of-the-pack starts throughout his glittering career in the pinnacle of single-seater motorsports.
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Lewis Hamilton blasts Ferrari for not making ‘the right call’ in Q3 at Hungarian GP
Speaking to David Coulthard in Parc Ferme following the conclusion of qualifying at the Hungaroring, Hamilton rued the Ferrari pit wall’s call to be the first man out on track.
Qualifying displayed a high level of track evolution as the session ensued. The end of Q2 was a clear example of this, with several drivers setting barnstorming new personal bests as the second session of the hour ticked down.
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“Firstly, congratulations to Lando, that was a great lap,” Hamilton began, before revealing his dismay at Ferrari’s call: “We’ve been doing a great job all weekend, I felt solid throughout qualifying and then for some reason we went out first, which I don’t think was the right call.”
That wasn’t the only issue, however. Grip played a massive factor in the biggest winners and biggest losers of the session. Turn 14 in particular proved to be a tricky opponent as drivers wrestled with their car to eke out a final bit of grip to complete their lap.
“But then, on top of that, the grip, for some reason, just wasn’t there on that last lap for Charles and I,” Hamilton continued. “Obviously, it’s a track that I love; I think we’re obviously competitive, but tomorrow’s going to be a hard day.”
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Hamilton. The Briton will start alongside his compatriot on the front row for Sunday’s Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc rounding out the top three in qualifying.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli could only muster the fourth fastest time of the session, and was nearly three tenths off Norris’ benchmark.
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