Key events
Lap 11/70: So, Hulkenberg has indeed been hit with a five-second time penalty for moving before the start. He’s now dead last.
“What’s going on with these cuts?” asks a bemused Leclerc on the Ferrari team radio. Is his engine cutting out intermittently?
“We need to get past Russell,” is the message Norris is receiving from his team. YES I KNOW GUYS.
Lap 10/70: Norris has picked up some super speed and finds himself within DRS pouncing distance of fellow countryman Russell. He won’t stop pushing.
That didn’t last long …
Lap 8/70: It seems Norris is under instructions to get past George Russell, which would put both McLarens in second and third behind Leclerc.
The Ferrari still leads this and looks comfortable in doing so.
The Saubers of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto are both under investigation for possible false starts. Could be some time penalties being dished out. We’ll keep an eye on those situations.
Lap 5/70: Gabriel Bortoleto is having himself a decent weekend, sitting sixth at the moment and pushing Alonso for fifth. Meanwhile, Verstappen has charged up the field to seventh and seems to have found some grip.
An email has dropped from Andy Flintoff (not that one): “Hi Dominic, I’ve got you and the cricket in two tabs in my browser, and I read your entry at 13.53 and it wasn’t until it got to the word ‘overtaking’ that I realised it wasn’t the Test match that you were writing about. For a split second I wondered how wind affects cricket’s DRS.”
I’ll level with you, Andy, I’m more aux fait with cricket’s DRS than Formula One’s.
Lap 3/70: Pretty much everyone is on the medium compound tyres, with Hamilton – who is on the harder tyres – dropping down to P14.
Norris has regained third from Alonso with a slick move. Better from the Brit.
Lap 2/70: So it’s Leclerc, Piastri, Russell and then Alonso after the first lap. Russell is pushing really hard to try and put Piastri under pressure.
There’s all sorts going on as we head into the first turn but Leclerc has the speed off the start to stay well in front. Fernando Alonso has gained a place on Lando Norris after the McLaren man opted to duck inside and try to make a move of his own.
Lights out!
… and away we goooooo.
Who’s taking the win in Hungary? Let’s see.
Formation lap time. Get some heat in those tyres.
The weather forecasters say there’s a bit of rain on the way. There’s a breeze around, too, which could help the use of DRS and mean more overtaking. Could be something for everybody today, especially with a Ferrari on pole and the big beasts of McLaren and Mercedes lurking just behind. Can Piastri or Norris jump ahead of Leclerc on turn one? We’ll find out soon.
Before lights out here’s a reminder of our other live offerings on a busy Sunday afternoon of sport.
George Russell is sporting shades and riding a scooter as he chats to Sky Sports.
“We’ve got to keep our eyes on Charles and hopefully we can do something to sneak in there.”
Right, the drivers, cars and all manner of other things are out on the track. Not long til we’re under way. The red, white and green Hungarian flags are out in force.
A bit more from Zak Brown here, this time speaking to Sky Sports about the world championship battle between his two McLarens Oscar Pisatri and Lando Norris: “We enjoy it, we’re racers, so to see them battle it out like we’ve seen now in a handful of races is exciting for us.
“We’re not doing anything differently, we don’t feel any tension rising. We know obviously there’s a lot at stake but it’s all very positive and we’re enjoying it.
“We’re not intimated or concerned, we know it’s going to be tough. But we’ve got a great relationship with both drivers, very open and transparent, so I see no reason why they can’t have an epic fight to the finish. May the best driver win.”
Here’s another plug for you.
McLaren chief Zak Brown claims Formula One is enjoying a “healthier” atmosphere following the exit of Christian Horner from Red Bull and accused his former rival principal of “crossing the line”.
There’s always going to be some political aspects to the sport, but I think it is going to be healthier with Laurent [Mekies, the new Red Bull team principal]. I’m a fan of Laurent, I have known him for a long time, and it’ll be good to go racing against him.
This was a timely piece from our man Giles Richards out in Budapest.
Lewis Hamilton is struggling for success with Ferrari, but appreciates that he must do more than drive for the famous Scuderia.
Qualifying standings
It’s worth reminding you how they will start on the grid in Hungary this afternoon. Don’t forget the race starts at 2pm (UK time).
Charles Leclerc
Oscar Piastri
Lando Norris
George Russell
Fernando Alonso
Lance Stroll
Gabriel Bortoleto
Max Verstappen
Liam Lawson
Isack Hadjar
Outside the top 10, the main headline is that Hamilton qualified down in P12 while Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda will start in the pit lane with his engineers deciding to make a few changes to the car pre-race.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to coverage of the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc starts on pole this afternoon for the first time this season after stunning McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in qualifying yesterday.
Meanwhile, it was a Saturday to forget for Lewis Hamilton, who berated his own performance after finishing 12th fastest. The seven-time world champion said: “It’s me every time. I’m useless, absolutely useless. The team have no problem. You’ve seen the car’s on pole. So we probably need to change driver.”
Hamilton has been hugely successful at the Hungaroring over the years, recording eight wins. He will be hoping to bounce back with another big result this afternoon.
Lights out is set for 2pm BST – join us!
