F1 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying betting preview, free tip & where to watch

Free F1 tips, best bets and analysis for Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying at the Hungaroring in Budapest on Saturday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports F1, 2pm, Saturday

Best bet

Sebastian Vettel to beat Charles Leclerc in qualifying matchbet
2pts Evs bet365

Preview

Lewis Hamilton trails his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas by six points after the two races at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.

But the six-time world champion sent an ominous message to his rivals in practice for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Hamilton and Bottas spent much of the opening session circulating the Hungaroring comfortably quicker than anyone else. Then Hamilton bolted on a set of hard tyres - theoretically the slowest compound available - and bettered his best time.

Rain hit the track before the afternoon session, which was topped by Sebastian Vettel but only 13 drivers set times and Hamilton only left his garage for one installation lap.

With the Briton having proved in a class of his own in the wet qualifying session in Austria last week, it seems fair to suggest Hamilton would have been capable of going quicker than the Ferrari had he wanted to.

Patchy rain is forecast for the rest of the weekend, although qualifying is expected to be dry.

Hamilton is a 4-7 chance to repeat last week's pole position, while Bottas, who was fastest in qualifying for the first race in Austria, is 5-2.

Max Verstappen, who claimed his first pole position at the circuit last year is a 5-1 chance, and Mercedes have made it clear they are expecting a stronger challenge from Red Bull at the twisty Hungaroring.

However, the best bet could be to support Sebastian Vettel to outpace his young Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in qualifying.

Four-time champion Vettel is leaving the team at the end of the season, rumoured to be heading to Racing Point.

The German was often outperformed by Leclerc last season, and the Monegasque finished second in the season-opener, but in terms of pace there hasn't been much between the pair this year.

Vettel topped the rain-hit second practice and was also faster than Leclerc in the morning. The veteran looked happier with his car than the younger driver throughout the day, which will give him confidence to push harder in qualifying.

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