Lewis Hamilton achieved a remarkable feat by narrowly edging out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to secure pole position, with a minuscule margin of just 0.003 seconds.
As the race day dawned at the iconic Hungaroring, Hamilton was poised to make history with what could have been an unprecedented ninth Hungarian GP victory.
No driver in Formula 1 history had managed to clinch victory nine times at a single venue, and the world watched with anticipation to witness Hamilton potentially etch his name in the record books.
However, the opening lap brought unexpected twists as Hamilton slipped behind the trio, facing a new challenge on the race track.
Meanwhile, Verstappen steered clear at the forefront, leaving no room for his competitors to close in. Both Norris and Piastri gradually widened the gap between themselves and Hamilton.
In utter dismay at the 9-second gap between him and the McLarens, Hamilton voiced his frustrations on the team radio: “How have they [McLaren] got nine seconds all of a sudden? That’s a crazy amount.”
The seven-time world champion faced an unsettling reality as the gap to Piastri ahead widened by lap 29, reaching a significant 10-second margin.
The urgency to close in on the McLarens intensified, prompting Hamilton to seek answers about the areas where he was losing such a substantial amount of time on the track.
“Where am I losing all the time? It’s just the car is slow?” Hamilton asked.
“A lot of it is straight line. Then in turns 11 and 14,” said his race engineer in response to Hamilton’s query.
Hamilton raised a thought-provoking question, pondering whether the Mercedes team had opted to “turn the engines down.”
“Negative. We are doing things to improve temperature situation,” came the reply.
Hamilton’s race culminated positively, with a brilliant manoeuvre that saw him execute a skilful overtake on Piastri, reclaiming the fourth position.
We need the best engines for Hamilton