MCLAREN HUNGARY FOR F1 SUCCESS

McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have locked out the front row for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen qualified third and was none-too-happy with the relative performance of his Oracle Red Bull RB20.

“I was a bit frustrated we ended up with P3 today, but showing emotion shows I really care about our performance and doing well,” Max Verstappen told Oracle Red Bull Racing Media.

“When the session had a red flag in Q3, we had used a new set of tyres already so there was no point in going out again as we wouldn’t have improved on our lap time. I was hoping for a bit more from qualifying but we can assess and see what we can do to get the best out of the car a bit better and improve the pace. Today we ultimately didn’t optimise our performance.”

Verstappen wasn’t alone in having a sense of disappointment after qualifying. George Russell was knocked out in Q1, while Sergio Perez’s first flying lap became his one and only after crashing out on his second attempt. That saw the second Red Bull RB20 finish qualifying in 16th, raising more questions about the Mexican’s F1 future as the summer break approaches.

There were broad smiles in  the Visa Cash App RB garages, as both drivers progressed to Q3. Daniel Ricciardo’s P1 in Q1 certainly placed a rubber stamp on the improved performance shown during the earlier practice sessions. Ricciardo rather impressively needed just one run in Q2 to progress, saving a set of tyres in the process.

Tsunoda had struggled earlier in the weekend with car issues, especially during P2. Perhaps that had something to do with his high speed accident during the latter stages of the final qualifying period.

His VCARB 01 slid off the track at Turn 5 after the Japanese driver had run wide while on a flying lap. His car became airborne before slamming into the wall with the left side of his car.

“To be honest, I felt great in the turn – I didn’t expect that!” said Tsunoda. “I just ran wide to be honest… Probably because I was on the limit, it’s obviously Q3, and half of the tyre went on the grass – but to be honest with those kind of things, it normally happens.

“But probably because it was wet, it kind of exaggerated it and I went wide. To be honest, until that corner – I mean, even Turn 5, the lap was great so it’s…To be honest, I’m more worried about the car rather than my body!

Tsunoda was ordered to rest as concerns grew about his physical health and coherence after the impact.

The crash couldn’t have come at a worse time for the rest of the Top 10, who had prepped for a final push lap. Whilst most did get another lap, with Ricciardo moving ahead of his teammate, the disruption didn’t allow them to maximise their potential.

“It was definitely a long and tricky qualifying, and I’m relieved to hear everyone is okay after the crashes that happened,” Daniel Ricciardo said to Visa Cash App RB Media.

“While we were out on track in Q1 it started raining more, but then we had a Red Flag, and the track dried a little bit. We went out again after that and finished P1, which was a good moment. I’m happy that as a team we made it into Q3 with both cars as we’ve been quick all weekend. If there wasn’t another Red Flag in Q3, and we’d be able to push on the new tyres, I feel maybe we could’ve gained a couple more positions.”

Things were much happier in the McLaren garages, with both drivers maximising the potential in their cars.

“I’m very happy with that! It wasn’t an easy qualifying session with the constant changing conditions, but we’ve been improving steadily and have come into this weekend confident that we can do a good job,” Land Norris said to McLaren Media.

“Congratulations to the team – having a 1-2 here is brilliant and a great reward for everyone’s hard work.”

“Very cool to be on the front row and a great result for the team” Oscar Piastri told McLaren Media. “My final lap was a good one, though to miss out on pole by a couple of hundredths, you’re always thinking of the small things you could have done a little better.”

Behind Norris, Piastri and Verstappen were the two Ferraris, sandwiching Lewis Hamilton in fifth. Alonso, Stroll, Ricciardo and Tsunoda rounded out the Top 10.

Given the extent of the damage to the VCARB 01, especially the left rear corner, Yuki may well find himself starting further down the grid, if not from the pitlane.

Photos: F1 & VCARB FB

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