F1’s spy scandal might have to take a back seat in Hungary on Saturday afternoon, as another controversy threatened to emerge.
Cynics in the Budapest paddock wondered if Fernando Alonso deliberately held up his McLaren teammate in the pitlane during qualifying; an apparent ploy that cost championship leader Lewis Hamilton a shot at pole.
As the two dominant MP4-22s were forced to queue in pitlane prior to their final qualifying runs, Alonso’s stop for one last set of tyres was delayed and Hamilton – second in the queue – was therefore not able to emerge with enough time to defend his quickest lap.
It is understood that the Spaniard’s crew had lifted the lollipop for Alonso, but he unilaterally remained stationary for crucial seconds.
26-year-old Alonso, meanwhile, went on to snatch pole position from Hamilton, while team boss Ron Dennis seemed angry as he discarded his headphones on the pit wall.
Hungarian GP, qualification
1 F. Alonso McLaren 1:19.674
2 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:19.781
3 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:20.259
4 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:20.410
5 N. Rosberg Williams 1:20.632
6 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:20.714
7 R. Kubica BMW 1:20.876
8 G. Fisichella Renault 1:21.079
9 J. Trulli Toyota 1:21.206
10 M. Webber Red Bull 1:21.256
11 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:20.718
12 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:20.779
13 A. Wurz Williams 1:20.865
14 F. Massa Ferrari 1:21.021
15 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:21.127
16 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:21.993
17 J. Button Honda 1:21.737
18 R. Barrichello Honda 1:21.877
19 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:22.143
20 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:22.177
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:22.737
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:23.774
