Mercedes didn’t arrive at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix with much enthusiasm for a competitive weekend. The ground effect era has caused much head-scratching for Mercedes leading to a significant drop in performance. It’s taken nearly two seasons of agony and very little ecstasy to slightly surpass the alien space technology that is the current Red Bull RB19. And finally, Lewis Hamilton secured a 105th pole position in Hungary, approaching the feat with the same enthusiasm and passion as if it were his very first pole position.

Verstappen struggled for balance and grip and had to endure the pain of settling for second place on the grid, the times were close, a hair width close, but enough for Hamilton to announce that Mercedes are back. Or are they? The British Grand Prix turned out to be agony mixed with ecstasy for the Mercedes team. However, were they truly on an upward performance trend? That question was answered in Hungary with Hamilton’s pole position, but doubts remain ahead of the race.

The question now is whether this resurgence is sustainable on Sunday. What isn’t a one-time occurrence is the resurgence of McLaren. The new updates that were introduced during the British Grand Prix have proven to be equally effective at the Hungaroring. This was evident as Lando Norris secured a third, with his teammate Oscar Piastri closely following in fourth position.

Ferrari’s performances seem to be experiencing fluctuations as the season progresses, the team has often enjoyed front-row qualifying pace. However, Charles Leclerc qualified in a disappointing sixth position, even trailing behind their Ferrari-powered customer team Alfa Romeo.

Aston Martin, which started the season as the third-best team on the grid, is now facing the risk of slipping into the mid-field pack. At least in Lance Strolls hands. Even Fernando Alonso’s qualifying is a testament to their struggle to maintain performance throughout the season, as he could only qualify in eighth place.

But as I always say after qualifying, Sunday is where the points are won and lost and this is where Red Bull’s advantage is expected to shine. The combination of Verstappen’s skill and the RB19’s superior race pace should play a significant role. Another Max Verstappen victory seems likely.

However, we can at the very least anticipate some thrilling moments as Verstappen and Hamilton inevitably clash on the opening few laps of the race.

2023 Hungarian Grand Prix: Qualifying Results

1 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes 1:16.609

2 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull Racing +0.003

3 Lando NORRIS McLaren +0.085

4 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +0.296

5 Guanyu ZHOU Alfa Romeo +0.362

6 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +0.383

7 Valtteri BOTTAS Alfa Romeo +0.425 6

8 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +0.426

9 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull Racing +0.436

10 Nico HULKENBERG Haas F1 Team +0.577

11 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari 1:17.703

12 Esteban OCON Alpine 1:17.841

13 Daniel RICCIARDO AlphaTauri 1:18.002

14 Lance STROLL Aston Martin 1:18.144

15 Pierre GASLY Alpine 1:18.217

16 Alexander ALBON William 1:18.917

17 Yuki TSUNODA AlphaTauri 1:18.929

18 George RUSSELL Mercedes 1:19.081

19 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas F1 Team 1:19.206

20 Logan SARGEANT Williams 1:19.248