Budapest (AFP)

After 92 Grand Prix, finally the pole: the Dutch prodigy Max Verstappen (Red Bull), only 21 years old, added one of the last missing lines to his CV in Formula 1 in qualifying for the Hungarian GP on Saturday.

"I still missed it, the car was almost flying, it was unbelievable!", Congratulated the youngest winner in history, 18 years 7 months and 15 days when he won for the first time in Spain in 2016.

Before going on, the head cool despite undisguised joy: "I'm really happy this day but there is still a race to play ...", the 12th round of the World Championship, the last before the summer break, Sunday on the Hungaroring in Budapest.

Verstappen, which has 26 podium finishes including 7 victories since its debut in 2015, took the lead with the way, improving the track record with a time of 1 min 14 seconds 572/1000.

The youngest driver to start an F1 race at age 17 5 months and 15 days in Australia in 2015 and the youngest to be on the podium in Spain in 2016 becomes the 100th poleman in history of discipline, but the 4th youngest only.

- Records -

This record belongs to the German Sebastian Vettel, 21 years 2 months and 11 days in Italy in 2008, before the Monégasque Charles Leclerc, 21 years 5 months and 15 days in Bahrain in 2019, the Spaniard Fernando Alonso, 21 years old 7 months and 23 days in Malaysia in 2003, and Verstappen, 21 years 10 months 5 days.

"It will not stop me from sleeping," laughed the hero of the day as he discovered this statistic.

After a first third of the season dominated by the British driver Lewis Hamilton, leader of the ranking of the drivers with a lead of 41 points on his teammate at Mercedes, the Finnish Valtteri Bottas, and 63 on Verstappen, the latter is the man in the form of the moment .

In the last four GPs, it was the Batavian who scored the most points: 74, against 63 in Hamilton and 51 in Bottas.

On the front line, he will be accompanied by the Finn who fails for 18/1000 only, or 1.06 m, says his team Mercedes.

This is confirmed, the Red Bull and the Silver Arrows are very close in terms of performance on a short and tortuous circuit that favors single-seaters like theirs, enjoying good aerodynamic support.

- Redemption quest -

Hamilton will be on the second row alongside Monaco's Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who was lucky enough to play the qualifying round despite a shock in the barriers during their first game (Q1).

Both men but also Bottas, among others, are looking for redemption after a GP elimination in the rain in Germany last week. Guilty of mistakes on the track, the Brit, who was ill, could not do better than 9th when his Finnish teammate and Leclerc gave up after accidents.

The third row will be occupied by the German Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) and the Frenchman Pierre Gasly (Red Bull) and the fourth by the McLarens of the British Lando Norris and the Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr.

Frenchman Romain Grosjean (Haas) and Finland's Kimi Räikkönen (Alfa Romeo Racing) complete the top-10 qualifying practice.

To note the elimination from the Q1 of the Renault of the Australian Daniel Ricciardo, embarrassed by the traffic and author of the 18th time only.

In great difficulties since the beginning of the season, Williams is happy however against the 16th time signed by the British George Russell, the best result of the team in qualifying since the 15th time of the Russian Sergey Sirotkin in Brazil last year.

© 2019 AFP