Sebastian Vettel is back in pole position for the first time in three races after edging Lewis Hamilton in Hungary...
Red Bull:
Sebastian Vettel: "I think it was a very good session for us. The McLarens were very quick, so we've done the right thing and I felt much more comfortable this morning. Q1 and Q2 was about getting through to the last session and I'm very pleased with the result. We changed a lot on the car overnight and the boys were working pretty hard and didn't get much sleep, but I think if we have a result like this it's the best way to say thanks, so I'm very happy. I've got the confidence back, today I felt much more comfortable in the car and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Mark Webber: "Third row is not where I want to be - I didn't get the best out of the car and out of the tyres. KERS was up and down a bit, I didn't have it in Q2, I had it on the last lap in Q3, but in the end I wasn't quick enough and couldn't get the lap time. So, we have to come back tomorrow and see where we are."
McLaren:
Lewis Hamilton: "It's great to see the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team with both cars on the front two rows - it's a sign that there's real pace here now. Everyone in the team is doing a fantastic job and we were genuinely competitive today. At one stage during Q3 I was up: I had half a tenth in reserve. But then I went a little bit wide, which triggered a big oversteer moment, and the result was that I lost that crucial bit of time. But the points aren't given out for today, and I'm feeling good about tomorrow. I'm very excited about the race, in fact, because we had quite a good long run yesterday and we'll work hard to build on that pace overnight and take it into tomorrow. We're in the fight - and, with a good start, we can definitely challenge for the win."
Jenson Button: "All in all, I guess I'm pretty happy with P3. I'll start from the clean side of the track, and I'm feeling very positive about the race. Having said that, after a lap that was as close to pole as mine was today, you always catch yourself thinking that there must have been a little bit here or a little bit there that would have been enough to bridge the gap, which was just two-tenths this afternoon, but to be fair to myself I actually think I drove a pretty decent quali-lap. To be honest, qualifying has been a bit of an issue for me recently - and, although I relish attacking any circuit in an effort to make up places on a Sunday afternoon, I guess you're always going to be playing catch-up if you start much farther back than the first two rows. So, this weekend, it's nice to be in a position to drive for a win from the outset, and that's definitely what I'll be attempting to do tomorrow."
Ferrari:
Felipe Massa: "Usually our rivals find something extra for qualifying and we make a step forward in the race: we will see tomorrow if this unwritten rule will also be confirmed at this track. I hope I have a car that is competitive, as it was in the final part of qualifying. Again this morning, I had too much oversteer and then, after making a few changes, it ended up the other way: we made a further adjustment to the front wing and the car's handling was much better. It's difficult to predict how many stops there will be: four is not impossible, three absolutely probable. Much will depend on the length of the first stint: that's where it will be clear which way to go for the following stops. What does it mean to me to be ahead of my team-mate for the first time this year? I am pleased, but what counts is being ahead of everyone and I hope we soon get some qualifying sessions where we are the best. Here I don't think I could have got under the 1.20 mark: McLaren and Red Bull are very strong and will be so tomorrow. My only complaint is starting from the dirty side of the track: I know how penalising it can be at this track."
Fernando Alonso: "It's the same result as a week ago, so yet again today, we're neither surprised nor disappointed. It's true I did not do a perfect lap in Q3 and I'm happy to admit that, but I don't think I could have made it to the front row. Third place was within our grasp and it would have been a great place from which to start the race, but others did better than us, including my team-mate who drove a nice lap: it's important that both our cars are in positions from which we can fight for a place on the podium. All the same, better fifth than fourth as it means at least I start from the clean side of the track. It seems that when it's time for Q3, Red Bull has a magic button that suddenly makes them go faster, but then it seems the button switches off in the race! It's always very difficult to overtake here and I don't think DRS will change that much: maybe a good tow and a gust of wind will be of more use. We will try and move up a few places tomorrow: we will need to maintain a good pace, doing a perfect job at the pit stops, of which I think there will be a lot, maybe three or four, because tyre degradation is significant. It will also be important to get the timing of the stops right. I reckon anything could still happen: it will be a very open race."
Mercedes GP:Nico Rosberg: "Qualifying in seventh place was ok today; we had a good set-up after this morning's practice and I did a good lap in Q3. I'm pleased to have saved one set of new option tyres for the race which will hopefully help me to score some good points."
Michael Schumacher: "The positive thing that I can take from qualifying today is that I will be starting from the better side of the grid in ninth place. However there are also things which we need to investigate further as the first two sectors did not work out well for us today. They were fine with the prime tyres, but not with the super softs, so we will have a close look into the reasons why. As always, we will try to do the best that we can in the race tomorrow."
Related Links
Qualy: Vettel is back at the front
Saturday's pictures from Hungary
