Lewis Hamilton is set to take shock pole position at the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix. For Lewis Hamilton ,securing pole position at the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix was an extraordinary moment, evident from the radiant smile on his face, which seemed to light up the entire Hungaroring. The passionate fans, who had a reminder of his exceptional driving skills, responded with thunderous cheers of approval as they witnessed his beaming grin positively illuminating the Hungaroring.
Since his last pole position at Saudi Arabia in 2021, Hamilton had not achieved a pole or won a race, making it a challenging period for him. In fact, this period was the longest in his career without securing a pole position since his first one in Montreal back in 2007. During this time, he faced difficulties with uncooperative cars and witnessed Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominating the championship.
Little wonder, then, that the 38-year-old released his emotions with a guttural roar from the cockpit to race engineer Peter “Bono” Bonnington after crossing the line.
“I’ve lost my voice from shouting so much, it’s amazing, that feeling,” Hamilton said. “We’ve really worked so hard, pushing so hard over this time to get a pole it feels like the first time.
“When I heard Bono come on the radio I had a huge grin on my face, what an uplifting feeling for everyone in the team.”
Season of struggle
After a season of struggle in the Mercedes, Hamilton delivered with an extraordinary lap to beat the Red Bull of Verstappen into second place by just three-thousandths of a second.
The circuit demands precision, with its tight, winding succession of slow and medium-speed corners that come thick and fast. Any minor transgression in one carries through the following turns and is irreparable. Hamilton threaded the needle with the sort of exquisite accuracy that has defined some of the best laps of his career.
Nor was he alone in treating Budapest to a bravura performance, with Lando Norris and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, taking an excellent third and fourth for McLaren, whose performance confirmed they are also resurgent.
But it was Hamilton who outshone the blazing sun. He has been circumspect about his chances this weekend but when it mattered the car, which underwent a major design philosophy change at Monaco, was finally a ride in which he had real confidence. He was almost affectionate toward it, a sentiment he has rarely expressed for the past two seasons.
