“It wasn’t the easiest grand prix I’ve had here but definitely one I enjoyed, a great tussle between the three of us”.
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Nico Rosberg rode his luck yesterday to grab pole position for today’s Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a prolonged qualifying session punctuated by rainstorms and red flags.
Asked why he seemed to struggle with his pace, Hamilton said: “Compared to practice we knew the temperature was a lot higher”.
The defending champion started second alongside title rival Nico Rosberg but a better getaway would see him nose in front at turn one to snatch a lead he’d maintain all the way to the chequered flag.
The battle for pole between the Mercedes drivers on Saturday at the Hungaroring produced a late twist, with Rosberg emerging on top in Q3 after yellow flags for a spinning Fernando Alonso proved less of a disadvantage on his lap.
Hamilton was relaxed about the result.
One of the Red Bull’s was on the inside of me so I was pressured quite a lot into Turn 1 but the team did a fantastic job with the strategy, preparing the vehicle as always, the guys back at the factory continuing to push flat out. “Bit unfortunate with Fernando but these things happen so I’m not really too disappointed”.
The pole was the 26th of Rosberg’s career and his fourth of the season.
The Mercedes drivers have locked out the front row of the grid for the sixth time this season.
There were doubts about whether Rosberg would be allowed to keep pole after onboard replays showed him also encountering yellow flags but the 31-year-old said he’d lifted off the throttle in that section of the track.
Other than one mistake which brought Nico Rosberg to within DRS range later in the race, the championship leader said he felt comfortable throughout.
Ricciardo’s second row result came with former champions Red Bull hoping to challenge Mercedes for the win.
Ricciardo was pleased to have beaten his team-mate, Dutch teenager Max Verstappen.
Sebastian Vettel, victor in Hungary previous year, was the sole Ferrari driver in the top 10 in fifth.
The German made his fastest lap in one minute and 19.965 seconds to overpower the competition in a qualifier that lasted for over two hours owing to incessant rain and less than ideal conditions.
Heavy rainfall delayed the start by 20 minutes and also led to several interruptions and crashes on the twisting Hungaroring circuit, including by Felipe Massa of Williams and Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson.
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It eventually ended nearly an hour later when a crash for Manor’s Rio Haryanto brought out the final red flag.
