Qualifying analysis: Lando Norris in a fight against himself, Ferrari in a performance crisis | 2024 Hungary GP. Qualifying analysis from the Hungaroring circuit in Hungary.

Two McLarens will be on the front row in the start of the 2024 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix, an achievement that hasn’t happened since 2008! The Woking team finally secures a result that rewards the technical superiority of the papaya-colored car. Lando Norris took the third pole position of his career, the second of the season after Barcelona. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella can rub his hands with satisfaction as Oscar Piastri came just 22 thousandths behind his teammate.

The Englishman achieved a stunning 1.15.227 on soft tires in the first run, which is 1.4 seconds faster than last year’s pole position. It is well-known that the Hungarian track does not facilitate overtaking, and track position becomes crucial: Lando Norris has wasted several opportunities this season and tomorrow he will have the chance to reap what he has sown, so much so that the Briton did not indulge in too many celebrations.

In the second row is Max Verstappen with the Red Bull without the bazookas and with the updates anticipated for the Zandvoort weekend. The world champion hoped to get back to the top but missed the goal by just 46 thousandths. When the Dutchman saw his gap on the display, he reacted by punching the steering wheel, a sign that he tried and, perhaps, was also annoyed for unintentionally giving a bit of a tow to the rival. Red Bull will be a formidable challenger in a race that promises to be very competitive.

Everyone else seems cut off, starting with Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari. The Spaniard is fourth, making Ferrari the third force, but the gap from the top three of almost half a second indicates that the Maranello technicians still have a lot of work to do before returning to being protagonists. Charles Leclerc does not shine: the Monegasque is sixth and has struggled all weekend, starting with the crash in the second free practice session at the Hungaroring circuit. The Ferrari driver is clearly not serene and unable to express his true potential. At the restart in Q3, he also hit the garage column too tight: nothing goes right for him!

All the drivers set their times on the first attempt because Yuki Tsunoda crashed his Racing Bulls at the exit of turn 5: the Japanese lost control of his car, going wide and hitting the barriers violently with just over two minutes to the checkered flag. Yuki emerged unscathed from the accident, although the team will have to work all night to rebuild the car, which also lost its left rear. At the restart, the cars stayed at the pit lane lights for a long time and only Daniel Ricciardo managed to improve his performance: the Australian still had a set of new softs and managed to overtake his teammate. Many drivers gave up running, such as Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, and others aborted their lap (Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz), while Charles Leclerc was called back to the garage because he had broken a wheel hitting the garage exit.

It was a strange qualifying session held entirely on soft tires, but with light rain affecting the start of the session, only to remain a threat that never materialized.

In this much cooler-than-expected climate (many teams partially closed the engine cover vents), Mercedes takes home only the fifth place of Lewis Hamilton. The Silverstone winner struggled with the W15 single-seater, so much so that he risked being excluded in Q1 by just 10 thousandths. The black-silver arrow will contend with the reds, but it will be a battle outside the podium.

Positive performance for Aston Martin with Fernando Alonso seventh and Lance Stroll eighth. The grid position is satisfactory, while the gap is disappointing: the Spaniard paid eight tenths, and the Canadian even a second. The Silverstone team expected more from the heavily revised AMR24.

Nico Hulkenberg saw his dream of entering Q3 with Haas vanish by a gap of 10 thousandths: the funny thing is that the German made the last attempt with a set of used soft tires, otherwise, he would have easily passed. Positive is the 12th place of Valtteri Bottas with the revised and corrected Sauber. The Finn can appreciate the quality leap with this C44, which finally seems to be working.

In 13th position we find Alexander Albon, ahead of his teammate Logan Sargeant, who managed to pass the first cut with Williams. The American reacted calmly to team boss James Vowles’ attempt to replace him with Esteban Ocon.

Kevin Magnussen with the second Haas was not exciting and settled for 15th: he did his job by passing the first cut.

Once again, Sergio Perez disappoints his team, crashing at turn 11 during lap 5 of Q1: the Mexican lost his RB20 after going too far on the curb and violently hit the barriers with the rear. The very disappointed driver exited the Red Bull cockpit under his own power, aware that his adventure with the world champion team might end after the summer break. The red flag stopped the session as the track got wet.

When the session resumed, Alpine decided to keep both drivers in the garage because they were theoretically qualified. Unfortunately, the track dried quickly, causing Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly to drop to the bottom of the grid. Incredible but true. The team of Bruno Famin made rookie mistakes.

It did not go better for George Russell with Mercedes: the Englishman was 14th and rightly wanted to go back on track, but the team put in too little fuel, preventing him from setting a sufficiently good lap to avoid the cut as the track improved. George could not make another attempt due to the lack of fuel and finished 17th. A very disappointed Russell was convinced he had a competitive car.

Guanyu Zhou with the Sauber also failed to make the cut: the Chinese driver never found the pace all weekend.

The fear of winning – or not being able to – is a terrible thing, because it goes beyond the performance of the car or the rivals; it is a personal issue, a struggle with the demons inside oneself. At stake is not only first place but also one’s reputation. Lando Norris, the pole man for the Hungarian Grand Prix, knows he must win: he has no alternative with a McLaren that has taken the entire front row (something that hasn’t happened in 12 years), proving to have the best car at the moment, capable of being a protagonist anywhere. However, doubts concern Lando Noris’ mental strength, which is Max Verstappen’s strong point, the formidable opponent starting third. A defeat due to his own mistake (and it wouldn’t be the first) would push Norris into a tunnel of doubts, partially putting his image within the team and F1 in general at risk. Then there is the matter concerning McLaren, a team of lineage but very young in its current structure, therefore more prone to growth errors, yet firmly led by a former Ferrari man, Italian engineer Andrea Stella, who perhaps was not fully understood at Maranello considering what he is doing elsewhere, with much fewer resources than Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes.

The most curious thing is that Lando Norris still believes he is in the running for the drivers’ championship, even though 84 points to recover from Verstappen is an Everest. Oscar Piastri, who dreams of overtaking Lando in the first few corners, more modestly says he aims to give McLaren the constructors’ championship. However, the real scare for the two in Budapest is Verstappen, ready to overtake them immediately at the start. We’ll see. Unfortunately, Perez had yet another accident. And now he trembles, even though there is no one on the market ready to offer serious guarantees.

Paradoxically, from one race to another, Mercedes seems to have disappeared, with Lewis Hamilton unable to go beyond 5th place due to the car’s limitations and George Russell even 17th, while Ferrari is still there, fourth with Sainz but a full 4 tenths behind, which in this F1 is enormous. The Spaniard has been the point of reference for the “red” team, while Charles Leclerc (sixth) certainly suffered from the time lost on Friday with the accident: the Monegasque is generous but sometimes excessive. And also categorical in his judgment: “The performance is not there.” That is, the new floor has not provided much, but the long-distance test of the Hungarian Grand Prix grand prix remains open. In reality, everyone expected much more from Ferrari, on a track devoid of the fast corners of Silverstone, which are hard for the SF 24. Sufferings upon sufferings: when will a hint of a smile return?