Hamilton grabs pole ahead of Hungarian GP

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes won the pole position ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix here on Saturday, setting a new lap record in Hungaroring by more than one second, reported Xinhua.

Hamilton will start the 35th Hungarian Grand Prix from the lead. The first line goes to Mercedes, the second to Racing Point, and the third place on the starting grid went to Ferrari.

Hamilton's lap record of 1:13.447 beat that of Verstappen (2019) by more than one second.

This win is the 90th pole position of the 35-year-old pilot's career, and the second in 2020. Hamilton can start from the lead for the seventh time during his career in Hungaroring, and might defend its Hungarian Grand Prix title for the eighth time.

"Hungary has always been a good hunting ground for me, but also I'm aware that there's a long run down to Turn 1," Hamilton said after the qualifying race, calling it "surreal" to have won the pole 90 times.

The 70-round Hungarian Grand Prix will start at 03.10 pm on Sunday, behind closed gates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.