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. POLE POSITION FOR LEWIS IN BUDAPEST!! pic.twitter.com/DN9ru73Btv — Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 22, 2023 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.