Ferrari got a huge boost as Sebastian Vettel took pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix with a blisteringly fast lap, while teammate Kimi Raikkonen was second on Saturday.
"Yes, pole position, numero uno," his Ferrari team shouted over race radio as the German driver clinched the 48th career pole of his career.
The four-time F1 champion clocked a best lap of 1 minute, 16.276 seconds, while Raikkonen was .168 behind in front of a large contingent of flag-waving Finnish fans.
Vettel stood on top of his Ferrari and waved to the crowd. The championship leader had extra reason to be happy, with both Mercedes cars trailing behind him.
Valtteri Bottas was third, .254 behind, while Lewis Hamilton could only manage fourth, .431 behind as the British driver missed out on equaling Michael Schumacher's all-time pole record of 68.
Vettel leads Hamilton by just one point after 10 races. Hamilton won the British GP two weeks ago, while Vettel could manage only seventh.
This time, it appears that Mercedes is on the back foot.
