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Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg secures pole position for Hungarian Grand Prix Lewis Hamilton suffers car fire while Nico Rosberg grabs Hungary pole
(35 minutes later)
Lewis Hamilton’s wretched fortune continued here on Saturday when his Mercedes car caught fire at the start of qualifying for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton’s wretched fortune continued here on Saturday when his Mercedes caught fire at the start of qualifying for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton had dominated all three practice sessions and was favourite to win in Hungary for a record fifth time, but his hopes went up in flames as he told his team: “Guys, I’m on fire!” His race engineer replied: “OK, Lewis, just stop the car where there is a fire marshall.” Hamilton said he could not stop the car, before finally coming to a halt.
It ended the day for him and means that once again he will start from the back of the field while his team-mate Nico Rosberg – his only serious rival for the Formula One world championship – will be in pole position.It ended the day for him and means that once again he will start from the back of the field while his team-mate Nico Rosberg – his only serious rival for the Formula One world championship – will be in pole position.
It is the sixth time in as many races – going back to Monaco in May – that Hamilton’s qualifying has been spoiled either by the car’s unreliability or by his own maladroitness.It is the sixth time in as many races – going back to Monaco in May – that Hamilton’s qualifying has been spoiled either by the car’s unreliability or by his own maladroitness.
But, as with last week’s German Grand Prix and the opening race of the season in Australia, Hamilton was blameless as his car went up in flames. As with last week’s German Grand Prix and the opening race of the season in Australia, Hamilton was blameless as his Mercedes went up in flames.
He looked a thoroughly dejected figure as he walked away from his smoking car, his left hand to his helmeted head. He left the track a few minutes later. Before leaving, he said: “We’ll have to replace the engine and gearbox, but with that penalty it’s a good thing – I can’t go any further back [on the grid]. He looked thoroughly dejected as he walked away from his smoking car, his left hand on his helmet. Before leaving the track, he said: “We’ll have to replace the engine and gearbox, but with that penalty it’s a good thing – I can’t go any further back [on the grid].
“There’s a lot going through my mind, but I just have to try to turn it into positives until tomorrow. I think it’s getting to the point beyond bad luck – it’s something else. We just need to do better.” “There’s a lot going through my mind, but I just have to try to turn it into positives. I think it’s getting to the point beyond bad luck – it’s something else. We just need to do better.
He added: “I bailed out of that timed lap I was doing and I was like: ‘I’m going to try and do the second lap’. “I bailed out of that timed lap I was doing and I was like: ‘I’m going to try to do the second lap’. Then something happened to my brakes. Something on the brake system failed, so I had to engage some settings to try to correct it, then the engines died.
“Then something happened to my brakes. Something on the brake system failed, so I had to engage some settings to try and correct it, then the engines died. “I then thought: ‘I am right next to the pit entry so I will roll back and get them to fix it’ but then I looked in my mirrors and it was on fire. I was hoping to get it in neutral so I could push it back or something. I was still trying to get it to the garage and maybe they could do something, but they said: ‘Stop, stop, stop’, so I tried to stop, but the brakes weren’t working. The car kept running forward. The engine was working sometimes and sometimes not working, so it is all pretty bad.”
“I then thought: ‘I am right next to the pit entry so I will roll back and get them to fix it’ but then I looked in my mirrors and it was on fire. I was hoping to get it in neutral so I could push it back or something. I was still trying to get it to the garage and maybe they could do something, but they said: ‘Stop, stop, stop’, so I tried to stop, but the brakes weren’t working. The car kept running forward. Niki Lauda, Mercedes non-executive chairman, said after the incident: “The fuel pressure went down and there is a fire so logic tells you the fuel started a fire, but we haven’t had the car back yet. I hope fire didn’t damage too much. Lewis has had so much bad luck. It’s completely unfair. It’s happened to Lewis two races in a row and it’s especially tough that it’s at this circuit where passing is so difficult. He would have been fastest today and would have won the race. Now it doesn’t look like it.”
“The engine was working sometimes and sometimes not working, so it is all pretty bad. I think it’s getting to the point beyond bad luck – it’s something else. We just need to do better.” Toto Wolff, the Mercedes motorsport chief, said: “I feel so bad for Lewis after he had brake failure in Germany. He had been so strong over the weekend.
Hamilton had dominated all three practice sessions and was favourite to win in Hungary for a record fifth time. Kimi Raikkonen was another big-name casualty early on when the Ferrari driver failed to go out again after setting a time he thought would be quick enough to get into the second session.
But his hopes went up in flames as he told his team: “Guys, I’m on fire!” His race engineer replied: “OK, Lewis, just stop the car where there is a fire marshall.” Hamilton said he could not stop the car, before finally coming to a halt.
Niki Lauda, Mercedes non-executive chairman, said immediately after the incident: “The fuel pressure went down and there is a fire so logic tells you the fuel started a fire, but we haven’t had the car back yet. I hope fire didn’t damage too much. He’s had so much bad luck. It’s completely unfair. It’s happened to Lewis two races in a row and it’s especially tough that it’s at this circuit where passing is so difficult. He would have been fastest today and would have won the race. Now it doesn’t look like it.”
Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff said: “I feel so bad for Lewis after he had brake failure in Germany. He had been so strong over the weekend.
Kimi Raikkonen was another big-name casualty early on when he failed to go out again after setting a time he thought would be quick enough to get into the second session.
Rosberg finished on pole for the sixth time this season and for the 10th time in his career. He said: “Qualifying three was a really big challenge, the track was changing all the time at the beginning. Starting the lap, I was the first one to arrive at the first corner, it was difficult to judge.Rosberg finished on pole for the sixth time this season and for the 10th time in his career. He said: “Qualifying three was a really big challenge, the track was changing all the time at the beginning. Starting the lap, I was the first one to arrive at the first corner, it was difficult to judge.
“It was very, very wet so I did take it a bit easy and I managed to avoid crashing. It was just massively difficult down there. From then on, it was easier as it started drying again. My last lap, it was nice to nail it.” “It was very wet so I did take it a bit easy and I managed to avoid crashing. It was just massively difficult down there. From then on, it was easier as it started drying again. My last lap, it was nice to nail it.”
Behind Rosberg will be Sebastian Vettel and rising star Valtteri Bottas, with Britain’s Jenson Button back in seventh in his McLaren. Behind Rosberg will be Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Williams’ rising star Valtteri Bottas, with Britain’s Jenson Button back in seventh in his McLaren.