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Lewis Hamilton beat Valtteri Bottas to a Mercedes one-two ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.
The seven-time champion beat Bottas by 0.315 seconds with a time set on their first runs as neither Mercedes driver got better on their last laps.
Verstappen got better on his final run but ended up 0.106secs behind Bottas.
And Verstappen will start the race on the soft tyre, however Mercedes have gone for the favored medium compound.
Hamilton was jeered by the large contingent of Dutch fans in the grandstands as he did his interview after the session.
“I have never felt so great with the jeering,” Hamilton said. “If anything it just fuels me, so I don’t really mind it.
“It was a great qualifying lap that last one. Amazing teamwork from everyone this weekend, trying to push the car forward developing constantly. It has been amazing to see everyone rallying together.
“The soft tyre is worth something like five metres off the line going into Turn One. It’s amazing seeing them on the soft. Great having a front-row lock-out for our team, first time for a long time.”
Verstappen, who starts the race eight points ahead of Hamilton in the championship, said: “The entire weekend we have been a kind of behind and it showed again in qualifying. Not what we needed but we are still there in third and will see what we can do.”
Bottas attacks booing fans
Bottas, whose second place on the grid gives Mercedes a major tactical advantage over Red Bull for the race, condemned the fans who booed Hamilton.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” the Finn expressed.
“We are here as athletes to do the best we can in the sport we love. Lewis did an amazing lap at the end and people should question themselves about this behaviour. It’s not right and we don’t want to hear those things.”
Hamilton said: “People have a right. It’s a sport. People act wild when it’s sport and competition. I don’t take it to heart. I must be doing something right to be upfront.”
Verstappen added: “It’s not correct, of course, but as drivers, we shouldn’t be affected by these sorts of things. It is not nice but it shouldn’t influence any of us.”
Tyre choice raises eyebrows
Red Bull’s tyre choice was a surprise for Verstappen, as the medium has better pace and durability for a race stint.
The soft gives nicer grip off the line, but starting third behind both Mercedes lessens his chances of attacking Hamilton on the first lap.
Verstappen said the team decided they wanted to run the soft tyre for his final run in second qualifying and he had no choice but to finish his lap on the soft tyres due to the time he set on medium tyres earlier was too marginal and he risked getting knocked out by midfield cars on the soft.
“My lap time on the medium would have been really on the edge for a top 10 so that’s why we decided to finish the lap,” he stated.
“We talked about it and they decided they wanted to go on the soft. Finally, it would have even safe to go through. But only by 0.03secs. It is what it is. We will find out tomorrow.”
Hamilton dismisses gamesmanship accusations
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez was fourth after failing to get around in time to commence the last lap.
That occurred after the Mercedes drivers in front of the Red Bulls, led by Bottas, did a very slow out lap before their last runs.
Verstappen only just managed to get around in time to complete his final lap but Perez behind him did not.
“What happened there?” he asked the team. “A bit of gamesmanship,” his engineer said.
But Hamilton dismissed the claims that Mercedes were doing it on purpose.
“It’s so silly,” he said. “Everyone was going slow. Do you not watch everyone else? Everyone was on a slow lap. Do you think I could have been quicker and closer to Valtteri? It was no different to any other lap.
“I wasn’t playing any tactics. I don’t need to play tactics. I know what I’m doing in the car. I’m fast enough.”
Behind the top four, Pierre Gasly impressed with fifth place for Alpha Tauri, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel finished in the top 10.
Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz will commence 15th after crashing at the last corner in the second part of qualifying.
And George Russell failed to get his Williams into the second part of qualifying for the first time this season, concluded a miserable 17th.
