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Rosberg takes pole as Hamilton flames out
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FORMULA One world championship leader Nico Rosberg took pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix yesterday while Mercedes teammate and title rival Lewis Hamilton saw his hopes go up in flames in Budapest.
Hamilton, 14 points behind Rosberg after 10 races, had won in Hungary the past two years and four times in total and was the favorite for pole and the race after setting the pace in practice.
Instead, the Briton will start last and from the pitlane after his car caught fire early in the session.
Red Bull’s quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel qualified second, equaling his best grid placing of the season, on an all-German front row.
Vettel said: “I think the nature of the track here suits us better, there are less straights and historically we have always had a competitive car around here.
Finland’s Valtteri Bottas starts third in a Williams with Australian Daniel Ricciardo fourth for Red Bull as qualifying took place on an overcast afternoon that saw light rain fall between the second and final phase.
For the second race in a row, Rosberg was left with mixed emotions — happy to be in the top slot with every chance of extending his overall lead — but saying also he felt cheated of a battle with his teammate.
“It’s a pity for the team, not a good thing... I would prefer to be out there battling Lewis,” he said. “That would have been the maximum adrenalin rush.”
Hamilton, winner of five races to Rosberg’s four, has had a run of bad luck with two retirements to the German’s sole blank and has also endured a string of qualifying setbacks going back six races.
At Hockenheim last week, he crashed out of qualifying when a front brake disc failed and had to start in 20th place.
That triggered a thrilling charge through the field to third place but the slow and twisty Hungaroring is a far more difficult track to overtake on.
“There’s a lot going through my mind, but I just have to try to turn it into positives until tomorrow,” Hamilton, whose car will need a change of engine and gearbox with accompanying five place penalty, told the BBC.
“I think it’s getting to the point beyond bad luck — it’s something else. We just need to do better,” added the 2008 world champion.
Hamilton’s blaze was caused by a suspected fuel leak.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso will start fifth with Felipe Massa sixth.
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