Lewis Hamilton makes Red Bull judgement after surprise pole in Hungary

Hamilton claimed the 104th pole of his Formula 1 career as he beat Max Verstappen to top spot in Budapest

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 104^th pole position – 18 months after his 103^rd – 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.”

Lewis Hamilton insists Red Bull’s pace advantage has reduced (Getty Images)

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.