Lewis Hamilton takes Hungarian Grand Prix pole ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris

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F1 travels to Budapest, Hungary for the start of a back-to-back streak this weekend ahead of its normal summer break. An eight-time race winner will join the grid, a new qualifying format is being trialled and, as will be the case for the rest of the season, Max Verstappen enters as strong favourite.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Hungarian Grand Prix:

Starting grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix

  1. Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes

  2. Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT

  3. Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes

  4. Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes

  5. Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari

  6. Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari

  7. Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari

  8. Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes

  9. Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT

  10. Nico Hulkenberg, (27), Haas-Ferrari

  11. Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari

  12. Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault

  13. Daniel Ricciardo (21), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT

  14. Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes

  15. Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault

  16. Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes

  17. Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT

  18. George Russell (63), Mercedes

  19. Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari

  20. Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes

Hungarian Grand Prix TV/streaming program

All times Eastern

Friday
7:25 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.: Free Practice 1 (ESPN2, F1 TV Pro)
10.55 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Free Practice 2 (ESPN2, F1 TV Pro)

SATURDAY
6:25 a.m. – 7:30 a.m.: Free Practice 3 (ESPN2, F1 TV Pro)
9.55 a.m. – 11 a.m.: Qualifying (ESPN, F1 TV Pro)

Sunday
7:30 a.m. – 8:55 a.m.: Pre-race show (ESPN)
8.55 a.m. – 11 a.m.: Hungarian Grand Prix (ESPN, F1 TV Pro)

How to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix:

Russell and Leclerc lead Friday training

George Russell set the fastest FP1 time on the intermediate tire as the rain started to fall with a 1:38.795. Seven drivers chose not to do a flying lap in deteriorating conditions, including the reigning double world champion. Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez raised a red flag as soon as he dipped a tire in the grass and slid into the barriers.

Conditions were much better later Friday afternoon on the outskirts of Budapest as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc posted a 1:17.686 to top the FP2 timesheets. McLaren’s Lando Norris continued his recent strong form by setting just one lap. .015s behind Leclerc. Pierre Gasly finished third with a time of 1:17.918.

Hungarian Grand Prix Details

Track: Hungaroring (Budapest, Hungary), 14-turn, 2.72-mile permanent racing facility
Duration of the race: 70 laps for 190 miles
Lap record: 1:16.627 (Lewis Hamilton, 2020)
Tire compounds: C3 (hard), C4 (medium), C5 (soft)
Last year’s winner: Max Verstappen

Daniel Ricciardo returns to F1

A familiar, smiling face returns to the grid this weekend as 2014 World Championship third-placed Daniel Ricciardo takes over from underachieving rookie Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. Ricciardo previously competed for the team in 2012 and 2013 – when it was known as Red Bull Toro Rosso – until he was promoted to parent team Red Bull.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JULY 20: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Alpha Tauri on an electric scooter in the paddock during previews ahead of the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix at Hungaroring on July 20, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)

After half a season without a full-time driver, Daniel Ricciardo is back in F1. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)

In 2014 he stunned four-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel, beating Vettel by 71 and winning three races against Vettel’s goose egg. After a tumultuous run alongside Verstappen at Red Bull, Ricciardo had disappointing spells at Renault (2019-20) and McLaren (2021-2022) and was not offered a full-time stint for 2023.

Qualifying format adjustment

F1 and Pirelli are trying to change qualifying sessions this weekend in a bid to improve durability. Instead of receiving 13 sets of tires for the weekend, teams will only receive 11 and must use the hard white striped tire in Q1, the medium yellow striped tire in Q2 and the soft red striped tire in Q3, assuming there is no rain (more on that later). Previously, teams were allowed to freely choose any tire in any session. This format was due to make its debut at Imola in May before that race was canceled by catastrophic flooding in northern Italy.

Top drivers and best bets for the Hungarian Grand Prix

This is Verstappen’s world and the rest of the grid inhabits it just at his benevolent whim. The reigning two-time world champion is off to a strong start for three games in a row and enters the weekend a heavy favorite with a -350 money line on BetMGM.

Better chances of winning
Max Verstappen-350
Sergio Perez +1100
Lewis Hamilton +1400
Fernando Alonso +1400

Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg wrote earlier in the week about how this week – and every grand prix after – is essentially a race for second place. As well as betting on Verstappen to win pole and the race, Bromberg recommends betting on Lewis Hamilton to finish on the podium and Esteban Ocon to finish in the top 10. Hamilton has eight poles and eight race wins at the Hungaroring, while Ocon’s only F1 win came on the track in 2021.

F1 Drivers’ World Championship Standings

  1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull – 255

  2. Sergio Perez, Red Bull – 156

  3. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin – 137

  4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 121

  5. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari – 83

  6. George Russell, Mercedes – 82

  7. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 74

  8. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin – 44

  9. Lando Norris, McLaren – 42

  10. Esteban Ocon, Alpine – 31

  11. Oscar Piastri, McLaren – 17

  12. Pierre Gasly, Alpine – 16

  13. Alexander Albon, Williams – 11

  14. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas – 9

  15. Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo – 5

  16. Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo – 4

  17. Yuki Tsunoda, Alpha Tauri – 2

  18. Kevin Magnussen, Haas – 2

  19. Logan Sargeant, Williams – 0

  20. Daniel Ricciardo, Alpha Tauri – 0

Hungarian Grand Prix entry list

Max Verstappen (1), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Sergio Perez (11), Red Bull-Honda RBPT
Charles Leclerc (16), Ferrari
Carlos Sainz (55), Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton (44), Mercedes
George Russell (63), Mercedes
Pierre Gasly (10), Alpine-Renault
Esteban Ocon (31), Alpine-Renault
Lando Norris (4), McLaren-Mercedes
Oscar Piastri (81), McLaren-Mercedes
Zhou Guanyu (24), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Valtteri Bottas (77), Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
Fernando Alonso (14), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Lance Stroll (18), Aston Martin-Mercedes
Kevin Magnussen (20), Haas-Ferrari
Nico Hulkenberg, (27), Haas-Ferrari
Daniel Ricciardo (3), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Yuki Tsunoda (22), AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
Logan Sargeant (2), Williams-Mercedes
Alexander Albon (23), Williams-Mercedes

Weather for the Hungarian Grand Prix

Forecasts call for temperatures in the mid-80s all weekend and thunderstorms Friday and Saturday. There is no rain forecast for Sunday’s race.

How to watch F1 for free in 2023:

(Photo: ExpressVPN)

Residents of Luxembourg or Austria can watch F1 live streams of each Grand Prix in 2023 for free on the free channels ServusTV and ORF. If you don’t live in any of these countries, you can still flow like you do with the help of a VPN.

ExpressVPN, Endgadget’s top choice for best streaming VPN, offers “Internet Without Borders”, AKA you can watch F1 on ServusTV or ORF through it, even from the comfort of your home in the US. ExpressVPN’s protection, speed, and range of additional location options make it a great choice for new VPN users looking to expand their streaming capabilities. Plus, it’s Endgadget’s top pick for best streaming VPN. New users can save 49% when signing up for ExpressVPN’s 12-month subscription. Plus, the service offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you’re nervous about trying out a VPN.

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