Lando Norris breaks Ferrari’s hopes by claiming pole in Hungary F1 qualifying, yet fears a key Ferrari advantage for the race
Outstanding Lando Norris secures pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix, placing McLaren ahead of pre-race favorite Ferrari. Despite this achievement, the British driver reveals concerns about a specific Ferrari strength for tomorrow’s race related to their tire choices.
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Norris reveals the secret to his pole: “upgrades helped me a lot”
Norris outpaced both Ferraris in qualifying at Hungary, earning a well-deserved pole for tomorrow’s F1 race. In a post-session interview, he explained that recent McLaren upgrades played a significant role in achieving this milestone.
“I am very happy to be back on top in such a tough qualifying session,” said Lando. “These guys were very fast, and we stayed close all weekend, but we seemed quick from the very first laps we ran.
We brought in some upgrades. It’s hard to measure their exact impact on lap times, but they definitely helped today. I’m really pleased to return to pole here, especially on a track where starting at the front really matters.”
Inside the McLaren garage, the team felt like fans, uncertain until the final moments if they would claim the top spot.
“It was exciting for us, and for the fans, not knowing who would get the pole until the very end. It came down to hundredths of a second. Honestly, I had confidence all day. My Q3 lap wasn’t my best, not even my last one.
I pushed a bit harder on the last lap. It helped somewhat, but in the end, what counts is the final result. Huge thanks to the team for their work. We’ll need another strong effort tomorrow.”
ferrari’s medium tire strategy presents a strategic threat for the race
Looking ahead to the race, Norris remains wary of a key Ferrari advantage. Both starting position and race pace could challenge him, as Ferrari chose to run Q1 on medium tires. This strategic choice allows Ferrari a much wider range of options during the race and represents a potential edge over McLaren.
“Of course, I’m in the best possible position, but Ferrari usually has very strong starts and has shown great speed all season,” Norris noted. “I expect a tough race. They ran Q1 on mediums, so how they start tomorrow will be interesting.
Their medium tire strategy may offer them an advantage over us in some ways. Still, we did what we had to today, and I’m happy with that. Tomorrow, we want to leverage this position for the best race outcome.”
grid order and next steps
Charles Leclerc will start right behind Norris due to Lewis Hamilton’s three-place grid penalty for impeding, which also influences the starting dynamics for the race.
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Image credits: Marco Talluto / Paddock News 24
Co-author: Pietro Rossi