Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying betting tips and F1 predictions: Norris can pip rivals to pole

Where to watch the British Grand Prix

Practice three & qualifying
Sky Sports F1, 11.30am & 3pm Saturday

Race 
Sky Sports F1, 3pm Sunday

Best bet

Lando Norris fastest qualifier
2pts 3-1 bet365

Qualifying winning margin under 0.1 seconds
2pts 7-4 bet365

Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying predictions

Friday’s free practice sessions hinted at a Ferrari revival after a dismal few races for the Italians, but Lando Norris could make up for his Silverstone disappointment on Saturday around the Hungaroring.

A controversial strategy call saw Norris drop to third in the latter stages of the British Grand Prix, but the McLaren’s pace is unquestionable and the Briton looks to be the man to make use of it.

He topped the timing charts in the fast runs in practice two, leading Verstappen by 0.243 seasons and putting almost four-tenths of a second between his papaya car and that of practice one leader Carlos Sainz.

Norris took pole position in Spain and is the only driver to have qualified in the top three in each of the last four races, so he looks a good bet for another pole at a Grand Prix where he finished second last year.

But, with as many as six drivers in with a realistic chance of lining up at the front of the grid, Norris is unlikely to have an easy run at pole. He took his Spanish Grand Prix pole position by just 0.02 seconds and the last five Grands Prix have featured five different pole-sitters.

The average winning margin in the last seven qualifying sessions, which include sprint qualifying in Austria, is just 0.13 seconds. That figure is skewed by a Max Verstappen masterclass in the Styrian hills, and it drops to just 0.085 seconds when you take that outlier out of the equation.

Four of those sessions have seen the front row separated by less than a tenth of a second, including a Montreal Grand Prix qualifying in which George Russell and Max Verstappen set identical times for just the second time since Formula One adopted a three-decimal timing system.

Norris may be in the driving seat for pole but this is a game of ever tighter margins and we could be in for another nail-biting qualifying session.

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