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Max Verstappen said it would be “terrible” to remain stuck on the same number of career wins as Lewis Hamilton’s car number following his crushing triumph at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The all-conquering Dutchman beat pole-sitter Hamilton to the opening bend at the Hungaroring before going on to lead every lap and claim his seventh successive win and 44th of his career. “Hopefully I don’t stay on 44 for too long,” joked Verstappen. “That would be terrible I need to get to 45 quickly.” The evidence of the season so far would suggest Verstappen’s wait will last only a week with Spa-Francorchamps the venue for the final round before the summer break of this most one-sided of campaigns. Indeed, Red Bull will head into next Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix unbeaten from the opening 11 rounds of 22, setting a new record on Sunday with their 12th consecutive win. The perfect dozen includes the final round of last season in Abu Dhabi, eclipsing McLaren’s 11 in a row in 1988 when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were at the wheel. Hopefully I don’t stay on 44 for too long. That would be terrible I need to get to 45 quickly. Max Verstappen “Twelve wins in a row is just incredible,” added Verstappen, who is now 110 points clear at the summit of the world championship on his unstoppable march towards a hat-trick of titles. “What we’ve been doing for the last two years has been unbelievable. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going for a long time. We always want to do better but days like this are just perfect.” Verstappen, 25, crossed the line more than half-a-minute clear of runner-up Lando Norris to record his ninth win of the season and retain Red Bull’s chance of becoming the first team in F1 history to complete a perfect campaign. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “As a young kid I remember watching Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna under the incredible leadership of Ron Dennis achieve that feat (11 wins in a row) and to think we have bettered that is something all the team in Budapest and back in Milton Keynes have worked so hard for and means so much. “Max is a driver totally at one with himself in the car and with total confidence and trust in the team. We are witnessing a sportsman at the top of his game and he is a joy to work with. “Max is a modest guy and he is uncomfortable with the plaudits he is given, but he deserves all the credit he is getting at the moment.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Lewis Hamilton rues poor form after Max Verstappen’s dominant win in Hungary I held my breath – Lewis Hamilton enjoys ‘extraordinary’ run to pole in Budapest Max Verstappen gives hope to rivals after coming 11th in Hungarian GP practice

Lewis Hamilton admitted he has not been driving at his best for over a year after a poor start at the Hungarian Grand Prix allowed Max Verstappen to rack up a record-breaking victory. Verstappen gazumped pole-sitter Hamilton on the downhill run to the opening corner at the Hungaroring before racing off into the distance to score his seventh successive victory of this most one-sided of Formula One seasons. Hamilton finished only fourth after both McLaren drivers also moved ahead of him inside the first two bends of Sunday’s 70-lap race. Lando Norris was runner-up to Verstappen for the second consecutive race, 33.7 seconds behind the dominant Dutchman, while Sergio Perez fought back from ninth to third with Oscar Piastri crossing the line in fifth. Verstappen’s ninth win from the 11 rounds so far sees him move 110 points clear of Perez heading into next weekend’s concluding round before the summer break in Belgium. The Dutchman’s Red Bull team remain unbeaten this season, setting a new F1 record with their 12th consecutive win. For Hamilton, he is now 34 appearances without a victory – the longest streak of his career. “I have not been at my best for over a year,” said Hamilton who has not won since he was denied a record eighth world title at the concluding round in Abu Dhabi in 2021. Across the same period, Verstappen – the man who beat him to the title on that controversial night in the desert – has triumphed 24 times. But the seven-time world champion added: “I am not disappointed. It was obvious that we do not have the quickest car. Max got a better start than me, I got a bit of wheelspin, and I was a bit compromised after that. “I am really proud of myself and the job we did to get pole and outperform the world champion and the other two McLaren cars that are quicker than us. But today is just a reality check. The reality is that we are not fast enough. “I was told in the strategy meeting this morning that I would be five tenths a lap slower than the Red Bull so the fight is not with Max but hopefully that we would be able to fight the McLarens. But then the McLaren was also too quick for us.” Hamilton’s initial reaction to the lights turning green was fine enough, but he lacked traction in the next phase, with Verstappen moving alongside the Mercedes and then ahead under braking for the first corner. Forced wide by Verstappen, Hamilton then lost two further positions. First to Piastri at the same right-hander, before Norris also muscled his way ahead around the outside of the next bend. Hamilton had a nibble back at his countryman on the long run up to Turn 4 but Norris held firm. A contrite Hamilton was straight on the radio. “Sorry about that, guys,” he said. “Don’t sweat about it, Lewis,” came the reassuring response from Hamilton’s ever-upbeat race engineer, Peter Bonnington. As Verstappen did what Verstappen does and controlled the race to perfection, Hamilton appeared rattled. He questioned if his Mercedes team had turned down his engine after falling a dozen seconds back from Verstappen by the time he stopped for fresh rubber on lap 16. Where am I losing all the time? It is just the car is slow. Lewis Hamilton He then expressed his exasperation at being cast more than 10 seconds behind third-placed Piastri, the Australian dropping behind Norris at the first round of stops. “Where am I losing all the time?” he asked, adding: “It is just the car is slow.” Bonnington then called on Hamilton to pick up the pace. But the despondent 38-year-old replied: “This is as fast as it goes, mate. That is what I have been saying.” When he finally stopped for rubber for a second time with 20 laps to run, Hamilton dropped to fifth. He wiped out a six-second deficit to Piastri inside a handful of laps, and at the start of lap 57 he breezed past the McLaren man at the first corner, before taking the chequered flag 39 seconds behind the all-conquering Verstappen. “The Red Bull car is phenomenal,” added an envious Hamilton. The Briton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell started 18th and finished sixth, benefiting from a five-second penalty to Charles Leclerc who sped in the pit lane. Daniel Ricciardo was a commendable 13th on his first race back. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live I held my breath – Lewis Hamilton enjoys ‘extraordinary’ run to pole in Budapest Max Verstappen gives hope to rivals after coming 11th in Hungarian GP practice Like someone cut my heart out – Claire Williams on sale of father’s F1 team

Lewis Hamilton apologised to Mercedes after a poor start at the Hungarian Grand Prix allowed Max Verstappen to rack up another win. Verstappen gazumped pole-sitter Hamilton on the downhill run to the opening corner at the Hungaroring before racing off into the distance to score his seventh successive victory of this most one-sided of Formula One seasons. Hamilton finished a disappointing fourth after both McLaren drivers also moved ahead of him inside the first two bends of Sunday’s 70-lap race. Lando Norris was runner-up to Verstappen for the second consecutive race, 33.7 seconds behind the dominant Dutchman, while Sergio Perez fought back from ninth to third with Oscar Piastri crossing the line in fifth. Verstappen’s ninth win from the 11 rounds so far, and 18th from his last 22 outings, sees him extend his championship lead to three figures, moving 110 points clear of Perez, heading into next weekend’s concluding round before the summer break in Belgium. Red Bull remain unbeaten this season, setting a new Formula One record with their 12th consecutive win in a row. Twenty-four hours after he ended a 595-day wait for pole position, Hamilton’s challenge to end a losing streak which now stands at 34 races was over after a few hundred metres. Hamilton’s initial reaction to the lights turning green was fine, but he struggled for traction in the next phase, with Verstappen moving alongside the Mercedes and then ahead under braking for the first right-hander. Hamilton, sharing the front row with Verstappen for the first time since he was denied a record eighth world title in the desert, could do nothing to prevent Verstappen barging his way through. Forced wide by Verstappen, Hamilton then lost two further positions. First to Piastri at the same right-hander, before Norris also muscled his way ahead of the seven-time world champion around the outside of the next bend. Hamilton had a nibble back at his countryman on the long run up to Turn 4 but Norris held firm. A contrite Hamilton was straight on the radio. “Sorry about that, guys,” he said. “Don’t sweat about it, Lewis,” came the reply from Hamilton’s ever-upbeat race engineer, Peter Bonnington. “It is going to be a long race.” Further back, and a slow-starting Zhou Guanyu mimicked a ten-pin bowling ball when he bumped into the returning Daniel Ricciardo, who hit Esteban Ocon, who in turn collided with Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly. Zhou was given a five-second penalty as both Alpines were unable to continue on a disastrous afternoon for the French team. As Verstappen did what Verstappen does and controlled the race to perfection, Hamilton was struggling for speed. He questioned if his Mercedes team had turned down his engine after falling a dozen seconds back from Verstappen by the time he stopped for fresh rubber on lap 16. He then expressed his exasperation at being cast more than 10 seconds behind third-placed Piastri, the Australian dropping behind team-mate Norris at the first round of stops. “Where am I losing all the time?” he asked, adding: “It is just the car is slow.” Perez started ninth following another below-par qualifying, but by lap 40 he was crawling all over the back of Hamilton’s Mercedes. To his credit, the Briton held off Perez before the Red Bull man dived into the pits. Bonnington called on Hamilton to pick up the pace. But the despondent 38-year-old replied: “This is as fast as it goes, mate. That is what I have been saying.” When he finally stopped for rubber for a second time with 20 laps to run, Hamilton dropped to fifth, with Perez now running in third after fighting his way past Piastri. Piastri was suddenly struggling for speed and Hamilton wiped out a six-second deficit to the Australian inside a handful of laps and at the start of 57 he breezed past the McLaren man at the first corner. Hamilton set about hunting down Perez, wiping out significant chunks of time in the closing laps, without getting close enough to challenge, crossing the line 1.5 seconds back from the Mexican and 39 behind Verstappen. Charles Leclerc finished sixth while George Russell, who started 18th, passed Carlos Sainz for seventh with five laps remaining. The Briton was then bumped up one place after Leclerc was penalised five seconds for speeding in the pit lane. On his first race back in the saddle after being dumped by McLaren at the end of last season, Ricciardo – despite slipping to last after Zhou’s first-corner antics – finished a commendable 13th in his AlphaTauri. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live I held my breath – Lewis Hamilton enjoys ‘extraordinary’ run to pole in Budapest Max Verstappen gives hope to rivals after coming 11th in Hungarian GP practice Like someone cut my heart out – Claire Williams on sale of father’s F1 team

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position in 595 days with a brilliant qualifying lap for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton crossed the line at the Hungaroring just 0.003 seconds ahead of Red Bull rival Max Verstappen to take his first pole since the penultimate round of the 2021 season in Saudi Arabia. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top The 38-year-old’s lap was greeted with raucous cheers from the crowd, bringing to an end a run of five straight poles for Verstappen. Lando Norris qualified an impressive third. Norris finished less than a tenth back as McLaren’s resurgence continued, with team-mate Oscar Piastri fourth. Hamilton, who has won more times in Budapest than anybody else and captured his first victory in Mercedes colours at this venue a decade ago, will believe he can end the longest losing streak of his career in Sunday’s 70-lap race after outclassing Verstappen and claiming his ninth pole at this track. Follow live updates from the Hungarian GP with The Independent Read More F1 grid: Starting positions for Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton claims long-awaited pole with brilliant lap at Hungarian Grand Prix Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position in 595 days with a brilliant qualifying lap for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton crossed the line at the Hungaroring just 0.003 seconds ahead of Red Bull rival Max Verstappen to take his first pole since the penultimate round of the 2021 season in Saudi Arabia. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top The 38-year-old’s lap was greeted with raucous cheers from the crowd, bringing to an end a run of five straight poles for Verstappen. Lando Norris qualified an impressive third. Norris finished less than a tenth back as McLaren’s resurgence continued, with team-mate Oscar Piastri fourth. Hamilton, who has won more times in Budapest than anybody else and captured his first victory in Mercedes colours at this venue a decade ago, will believe he can end the longest losing streak of his career in Sunday’s 70-lap race after outclassing Verstappen and claiming his ninth pole at this track. Follow live updates from the Hungarian GP with The Independent Read More F1 grid: Starting positions for Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton claims long-awaited pole with brilliant lap at Hungarian Grand Prix Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top

Lewis Hamilton said he held his breath for the 76.6 seconds it took him to capture his first pole position in 595 days for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion held off Red Bull foe Max Verstappen by just three thousandths of a second as he danced his Mercedes to top spot in an exhilarating qualifying session at the Hungaroring. Lando Norris finished third following another impressive afternoon for the rising McLaren star, one spot ahead of his team-mate Oscar Piastri. George Russell managed only 18th on a day to forget for the Mercedes man. Hamilton’s one-lap triumph here – described as a work of art by his old rival Nico Rosberg – is his first since the penultimate fixture of the contentious 2021 season in Saudi Arabia, 33 races ago. The following round in Abu Dhabi – where Hamilton was denied a record eighth world title by Michael Masi’s controversial refereeing – marked the last time he started a race from the front row. Verstappen began from pole on that contentious evening in the desert. On Sunday, it will be Hamilton’s turn. Hamilton roared with delight over the team radio before holding his head in his hands and then saluting the raucous crowd as he stood on top of the front-right tyre of the Mercedes machine which carried him to his ninth pole in Hungary and 104th in all. A cursory handshake for Verstappen followed. “I’ve lost my voice from shouting so much in the car,” said Hamilton, moments after stepping out of his cockpit. In the official press conference reserved for the top-three drivers, Hamilton added: “I forgot what it feels like to sit in this spot. He (Verstappen) has been hogging it for a while. “I don’t think I breathed for the whole lap, I held my breath. I was so out of breath at the end. It is an extraordinary feeling. “I have not been here for such a long time. Even with the success I have had before, and this is my 104th pole, it feels like the first. It is hard to explain how special it feels.” Hamilton trailed Verstappen by 0.126 sec prior to the concluding runs. But he usurped the Dutch driver, who failed to improve on his last lap, with his final throw of the dice. He was the last man to cross the line. “I witnessed those special moments and the days he used to have, and today was one of those,” said Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the 2016 title. “That lap is like perfection, it is art. Only Lewis Hamilton can do that.” Hamilton has won more times in Hungary than anybody else, and claimed his first victory in Mercedes colours at this venue a decade ago. “Last year we were nowhere,” said Hamilton. “I have always had belief that if we apply ourselves the right way we would get there, and it was just a question of how long that would be? “But we started this season with the twin sister or twin brother of the previous year’s car. It felt identical and that was worrying. “When you lose that confidence you shed a lot of time. I had no confidence in the car. It was so nervous, and it felt like I was treading on eggshells. “I started out this season with very little confidence, but bit-by-bit I got the thing on the right tracks, so the confidence has finally come back. “We have been on this journey of undoing the wrong decisions we have taken and it has taken far longer than we hoped, but we are starting to see those benefits.” Converting his 104th pole into his 104th victory will not be an easy task for Hamilton. Verstappen has won eight of the 10 rounds so far and his Red Bull team are unbeaten this season. “We tend to have decent race pace,” concluded Hamilton. “Max’s race pace yesterday in practice was quite extraordinary. They were quicker than us. “But if there is a way to hold position then maybe there is a fighting chance for us. I am as keen as I am to win tomorrow as I did for my first win in Montreal in 2007.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen gives hope to rivals after coming 11th in Hungarian GP practice Like someone cut my heart out – Claire Williams on sale of father’s F1 team Daniel Ricciardo dreaming of Red Bull return ahead of F1 comeback

Lewis Hamilton insists Red Bull’s pace advantage has reduced after the Mercedes star claimed a surprise pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 38-year-old, whose previous F1 pole was back in December 2021 in Saudi Arabia, beat Max Verstappen to top spot in Budapest by 0.003 seconds in a thrilling end to qualifying. It was Hamilton’s 104th pole position – 18 months after his 103rd – and his ninth at the Hungaroring, breaking the record for the most pole positions at one circuit. While sceptical of his chances tomorrow, the seven-time world champion believes Red Bull’s significant pace has dropped off in the last few race weekends. “Honestly I think they’ve [Red Bull] slowed down from the beginning of the year,” he said. “Where’s the DRS advantage gone? But in the race they’re still the quickest, it’ll be very hard to beat them tomorrow. “But it’s definitely interesting to see some of the deficits and see how it’s changed race-to-race.” Hamilton was elated after the pole position though, and he will line-up alongside Verstappen on the front row for the first time since the infamous end to the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi. “It feels like my first pole, believe it or not,’ Hamilton said. “Feels strange to say that with 104. I don’t remember the last time it feels so long ago! “We weren’t expecting that going into the weekend, car felt terrible yesterday. “I just sent it! Nothing to lose. Threw it into the high-speed corners, it was a great, great lap!” Lando Norris qualified third for McLaren, with his team-mate Oscar Piastri in fourth. Read More F1 grid: Starting positions for Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton claims long-awaited pole with brilliant lap at Hungarian Grand Prix F1 Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and results Sergio Perez crash in Hungary practice a sign of the times F1 grid: Starting positions for Hungarian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton raised the prospect of springing a surprise pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix after finishing fastest in final practice. The seven-time world champion ended the concluding one-hour running before qualifying at the Hungaroring 0.250 seconds clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Verstappen, who has won eight of the 10 rounds so far and six in succession, complained about the handling of his Red Bull. “There is no f****** grip,” said the frustrated two-time world champion over the radio. Sergio Perez took third spot in the other Red Bull, 0.263 sec adrift of Hamilton, with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and McLaren driver Lando Norris fourth and fifth respectively. Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell finished sixth three tenths back. Hamilton only finished 16th on Friday, describing his machine as “at its worst”. But the 38-year-old, who has won more times at the Hungaroring than anybody else and captured his first victory in Mercedes colours at this venue a decade ago, led the way on Saturday to suggest he might be a contender heading into the remainder of the weekend. Elsewhere, Daniel Ricciardo, back on the grid as a replacement for Nyck De Vries, clocked the 18th quickest time. His new AlphaTauri team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was 20th and last. Qualifying for Sunday’s 70-lap race starts at 4pm local time (3pm BST).

The Formula 1 paddock returns to Budapest this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the popular Hungaroring circuit. Max Verstappen is looking for a seventh grand prix victory in a row at a track where he won last year from 10th on the grid. The Dutchman is cruising to a third world championship this season, currently holding a 99-point to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in second. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top Yet the biggest talking point this weekend is Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the grid with AlphaTauri. The Australian, dropped by McLaren last year, replaces Nyck de Vries for the remainder of this season and starts at a track where he claimed his second F1 victory in 2014. Lando Norris will be hoping to back up his strong performance for McLaren at Silverstone two weeks ago, a race where Lewis Hamilton finished third for Mercedes. Hamilton is an eight-time winner in Hungary. On Friday, Charles Leclerc was quickest in second practice after Sergio Perez crashed in first practice. Follow live updates from the Hungarian GP with The Independent Read More Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing: ‘That’s how Red Bull work’ Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top Nyck de Vries breaks silence after AlphaTauri exit