The F1 Pit Box

This is Lewis Hamilton's chance to make it three wins in a row, as he sits on pole position in Hungary.  His team mate Heikki Kovalainen makes it an all-McLaren front row in position two and Massa claws back some Ferrari dignity in third place.  BMW's Kubica and a storming Timo Glock for Toyota then fill 4th and 5th before Raikkonen got a look-in to qualify 6th.

It's this line-up which made a normally dull Hungarian qualifying a little more interesting as it paints a picture which uses red as a very seconday colour.  Massa's third place will hopefully be translated into a challenge for second in the race, but Kimi once more either doesn't have the car he wants or doesn't have the right mental attitude.

Kimi has often had this look, sometimes quick, sometimes super-quick and other times somehow lacklustre - not slow nor troubled, just indifferent - which seems to be the case following Silverstone.  Surely it must be a worry to watch Lewis begin to pull out a lead (especially if he translates pole to a win this weekend), as this second Championship win is so much more important than last year's.

It's important not only to cement Kimi's reputation as a World Champion, but also to keep his seat at Ferrari.  Winning is everything, but when the team is not able to challenge for one, out-qualifying and out-racing your team mate is the only race which matters and despite it always being Massa's seat in question, Kimi's may be equally insecure if he doesn't climb out of this slump.  Alonso is waiting in the wings and it doesn't take much to imagine just how hard he would drive if he was strapped into a red car.

Despite this, Kimi wasn't the biggest qualifying loser of the day, a dubious honour given to Nick Heidfeld.  Not making it out of Q1 while his team mate sits on the fourth spot is unforgivable, but blaming Bourdais for blocking him (when Nick himself got off the throttle as he ran wide) smacks of desperation at the end of a not-good-enough lap.  Nick is a brilliant racer and the enjoyment gained from observing his style is a race highlight, but not making Q3 in a BMW these days must be one of the quickest routes to F1 obscurity there is.

So, who's going to win in Hungary?  Unless something untoward happens, this will be Lewis Hamilton's race.