Budapest, Aug 1: Lewis Hamilton’s 101st pole position in Formula One snapped a six-race barren run and set him up perfectly for a shot at a 100th career win in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The British driver holds F1 records for wins and poles and has a record eight wins at the Hungarian GP, including the last three. While Silverstone is his home track — he has also won there eight times — Hamilton feels right at home at the Hungaroring.
He first won here in 2007, just the third win in his glittering career. His first Mercedes win in 2013 was also on this sunlit track, set amid the rolling hills and countryside of Mogyorod about 20 kilometers (12 1/2 miles) from Budapest. Hamilton had not been on pole since the Spanish GP in early May.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took the next two poles and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched four in a row as he soared ahead in the championship.
But Hamilton’s controversial victory two weeks ago at the British GP trimmed Verstappen’s lead from 33 points to eight. Hamilton could even move ahead in the final race before the midseason break.
Some sections of the crowd jeered him, one week after he was ruled at fault for the crash which sent Verstappen out of the British GP. Hamilton, however, was unbothered. (AP)
