Norris Takes Pole in Hungary; Hamilton and Antonelli Penalized

Lando Norris driving for McLaren has claimed pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the eleventh round of the Formula 1 World Championship. Norris set a blistering pace with a qualifying time of 1 minute and 17.207 seconds, narrowly beating Lewis Hamilton.

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We were the fastest for the whole session, so it's definitely a lost opportunity.

Hamilton, who was just 12 thousandths of a second behind Norris in qualifying, will start the race from fifth place. The Mercedes driver was penalized three positions for impeding Oscar Piastri of McLaren during Q3. This penalty means Hamilton misses out on a prime starting spot despite his strong qualifying performance.

Adding to the grid changes, Kimi Antonelli also received a three-position penalty. The Williams driver was penalized for not slowing down adequately under a yellow flag, which was deployed after Max Verstappen spun near the end of the session. Antonelli will now start seventh.

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I felt solid, but for some reason we went out on track first, which I don't think was the right choice.

Despite the penalties, Hamilton expressed disappointment, calling it a "lost opportunity." He noted that the team felt fastest throughout the session but suggested that going out first on track might not have been the optimal strategy. "I felt solid, but for some reason we went out on track first, which I don't think was the right choice," Hamilton said. He congratulated Norris on his "fantastic lap."

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Congratulations to Lando, who did a fantastic lap.

Charles Leclerc, who qualified third, will start from the second row. He described the qualifying session as "a bit chaotic," citing a sudden wind change that he didn't anticipate well. Leclerc also mentioned being fortunate with the yellow flag situation. Meanwhile, the mayor of Imola, Marco Panieri, commented on the possibility of Formula 1 returning to the circuit, stating that the city is "always ready and available" to host the event and is working on modernization projects for the track.

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There was a rather abrupt wind change and I don't think I predicted it well. And qualifying was a bit chaotic, I had to catch up. We were lucky with the yellow flag.