F1 Hungarian GP live commentary and updates - Qualifying

JOIN US TOMORROW FOR THE HUNGARIAN GP

That's it from us for qualifying. Tomorrow's race starts at 15:00 CET; our ramblings will get under way slightly before then. Thanks for reading!

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

We'll leave you with a pleasing shot of the evergreen Fernando Alonso. Didn't want young Zak Mauger to have lain down on the garage floor for nothing...

"The wind seemed to punish us in a bigger way," reckons Leclerc. He'll have to tackle tomorrow's opening lap with gust-o...

"I think the wind changed a lot," says Piastri. "It always seems a bit pathetic, blaming the wind, but it basically did a 180 [degree turn] from Q1 to Q3, it just meant a lot of the corners felt completely different."

Just over a tenth of a second covers the first five positions on the grid. That's convergence and a slippery track for you.

Pole position was "most unexpected, for sure" says Leclerc.

Bortoleto also improves on his second flier. 1m15.725s is P7, just 0.353s off pole. Verstappen is P8, 0.356s away from pole. Seldom does a little under four tenths cover such a spread of positions.

Wow! Norris beats his previous time with a 1m15.413s, but it's not enough. He will start from P3. Piastri can't beat Leclerc either.

P1 for Leclerc for now - 1m15.372s!

Leclerc is improving - green in sector one, purple in sector two.

McLarens now on their out-laps on new softs.

Stroll now out on a fresh set of softs. Looks like the track is still evolving - Stroll does a 1m15.498s, within a breath of the McLarens. That's good for P3 but along comes Fernando with a 1m15.481s. That's P2 and just 0.083s off Piastri's provisional pole position.

So Alonso is now P4. The remaining order is Verstappen (1m16.183s), Leclerc (1m16.630s), Lawson (1m16.649s) and Bortoleto (1m17.134s). A substantial gap of 1.736s from front to back.

Piastri goes top with 1m15.398s, Norris second with 1m15.494s - 0.096s. But Russell is on a flier, purple in the first two sectors... ah, it gets away from him in the final sector with a snap of oversteer mid-way through the final corner! But it's 1m15.632s, good enough for P3.

Stroll has his time deleted for exceeding track limits at Turn 9.

Stroll's first effort is 1m16.660s. Alonso does a 1m16.025s - faster, but he's on new tyres according to our info screen while Stroll is on a used set.

Max Verstappen sallies forth. Just Hadjar left in the garage.

Lawson, Leclerc, Norris, Piastri and Bortoleto follow.

Lewis Hamilton keeps his helmet on as he walks back. We pity our colleagues in the post-quali media 'pen' trying to coax a quote out of him...

Two Racing Bulls through to Q3 as well as two Aston Martins and two McLarens.

A brutal Q2 there. Max Verstappen squeaked through in 1m15.547s - 0.657s off Norris's benchmark.

Again the McLarens are in a class of their own, with two tenths in hand over the leader of the chasing pack (Lance Stroll).

Scrappy-looking lap for Leclerc but the sectors are PBs... P5, 1m15.455s. What can Lewis Hamilton do? P7 for now, 1m15.702.

"For now" doesn't last long - Bearman clocks in with a 1m15.694s to push Hamilton down.

LAST Q2 LAPS ARE ON!

Vicious little bunfight breaking out in the queue at pit exit as Sainz tries to force his way in.

Stroll is out on new softs. Fascinating that the team feels he might need to improve an a 1m15.680s. Leclerc in P10 is on 1m16.185s.

Lance does the job: 1m15.129s, 0.239s down on Norris's current benchmark.

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

Six minutes to go, just Stroll (P4) on track, and the drop zone is currently inhabited by Hamilton, Sainz, Bortoleto, Antonelli and Colapinto.

Leclerc is in P10 so his next lap needs to be better, too.

Max Verstappen has been told his team expects the best conditions towards the end of the session. Charles Leclerc has obviously been advised similarly but he's clear on the radio that he wants to be out early so he doesn't get stuck in the queue at the pit exit.

Colapinto had an oversteer snap at Turn 9 and his lap time has been deleted because he exceeded track limits, so he's currently P15.

But now the McLarens come through. Norris is first, stopping the clock at 1m14.890s. Piastri is just 0.051s down. Half a second faster than Alonso, who is still P3.

Antonelli, meanwhile, is now P14!

Antonelli is first out of the pits and first to set a time. Russell hot on his wheeltracks. Antonelli dips a wheel in the gravel at Turn 11 and goes through in 1m16.386s. Russell follows in 1m16.057s.

Then the two Aston Martins swipe through. Alonso now fastest with 1m15.395. Stroll P2 with 1m15.680. Highly respectable given that Turns 1 and 5 have been reported as lightly damped.

It's raining on the north side of the circuit.

Track temperature has plummeted more than 10C since the start of qualifying.

Q2 start has been delayed for a few minutes so the track can be swept clear of gravel. The broom broom before the vroom vroom, you might say.

Isack Hadjar complaining that Oliver Bearman impeded him in Turn 2. Slightly academic since he was comfortably in the top 10.

Nervous scenes ahead in Q2 for those drivers who occupied the slots just outside the top 10 in Q1: Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Bearman, Kimi Antonelli, Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto.

So, the Q1 victims are Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Sweet relief for Ferrari fans as Leclerc posts a 1m15.582s. That's P5 behind Piastri, Alonso, Hadjar and Norris.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

Leclerc purple in sector one. He needs to better his 1m16.216s. He's now P18...

Leclerc now P16 and he really needs to stick his final lap.

Hairy final laps for the two Ferraris as they slide towards the drop zone - Hamilton P12 and Leclerc P15.