Hungary: pre-qualifying

Ah, a return to a more sensible weekend arrangement. Horner and Red Bull continue to grumble but have had a request for a review of Hamilton’s penalty (viewing it as too lenient) declined.

Verstappen’s engine, surprisingly, appears to be ok for the race.

In first practice Verstappen was fastest, less than a tenth ahead of Bottas, with Hamilton a tenth further back. Sainz was next but four-tenths down the road, narrowly ahead of Gasly. Then came Alonso, Leclerc, Perez, Norris, and Stroll.

Second practice had Bottas fastest, a mere two-hundredths up on his team mate. Verstappen was three-tenths off the Mercedes pair, but nearly half a second ahead of Ocon. Perez and Gasly followed, with Alonso, Vettel, Norris, and Stroll rounding out the top 10.

At this stage it seemed to be advantage Mercedes, but keep an eye on the sky as there is an outside chance of thundery showers during qualifying. And it’s predicted to be in the mid-30s for the race, which may adversely affect various teams.

Final practice saw Hamilton less than a tenth ahead of Verstappen with Bottas two-tenths further back. Sainz was next but four-tenths further back, just two-hundredths ahead of Leclerc. Norris was a few tenths off the Ferraris, ahead of Perez and Ricciardo. Alonso was right behind the Aussie, with Stroll tenth quickest.

So, nice and close between the title rivals with Bottas potentially close enough to get in the way. Perez, by contrast, was a second off his team mate. No tip for qualifying.

Qualifying starts at 2pm.

Morris Dancer

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