ESPN rounds up the main talking points from qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Ferrari claimed its first pole position since Monte Carlo and Paul di Resta made a last-minute comeback to racing duties.
Shock: Red Bull was tipped as a dark horse in the battle for pole but the challenge failed to materialise in Q3. Daniel Ricciardo had topped both Friday practice sessions and had been in the mix throughout qualifying, but the team was unable to replicate the pace of Ferrari and Mercedes when it mattered and will have to settle for a spot on the third row of the grid.
Shocker: Lewis Hamilton's chances of taking pole took a hit with a sloppy mistake at the top of the hill at Turn 4. It left the Mercedes driver with just one run late on to try and get pole and he ended up finishing 0.5s short of main championship rival Sebastian Vettel. For a circuit Hamilton usually excels on, it was a disappointing performance.
Comeback kid: Paul di Resta deserves plaudits for his effort in Q1. Drafted in to replace Felipe Massa during the gap between FP3 -- which the Brazilian finished prematurely after feeling unwell -- and qualifying, the Scot had precisely zero laps experience with Williams' 2017 car. In the end, his final effort saw him climb above Sauber's Marcus Ericsson and finish just 0.8s off a place in Q2. Di Resta had originally arrived in Hungary as a TV pundit and later told reporters he had been ironing a shirt at 5am ready for a regular shift -- tomorrow he'll line up 19th for his first race since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Palmer under pressure: Jolyon Palmer has had a difficult weekend, with two separate incidents in Q2 leaving him low on mileage coming into FP3. After making it into Q2 he was unable to match Nico Hulkenberg's lap times in the middle session, finishing 0.8s shy of the other yellow and black car, 0.4s of which would have been good enough for a spot in Q3. Pressure continues to build ahead of Robert Kubica's test next week.
Happy birthday Fernando: Fernando Alonso hasn't had much to shout about this season and it's unlikely eighth position in qualifying on his 36th birthday will warrant much celebration. But it vindicates McLaren's belief that its main weakness has been Honda's power unit (rather than a mix of both engine and chassis) at a circuit where performance is not defined by outright power. Alonso has limited options for next season but it's another reminder to him that McLaren is a Honda recovery away from being at least mildly competitive in 2018.
Star of qualifying: This has to be Vettel, who set a mega lap for his second pole position of the season. Ferrari's pace was hard to judge on Friday but there was no doubting who was the man to beat on Saturday and Vettel converted. With no win since May's Monaco Grand Prix, it is a great chance for the German to go into the summer break on a high and with his championship lead enhanced.