Hamilton says booing “just fuels me” after beating Verstappen to F1 pole

Hamilton charged to his third pole of the season and his eighth at the Hungaroring as he beat Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas by 0.315s and consigned F1 title rival Max Verstappen to the second row of the grid.

But the Mercedes driver was booed by a large number of Dutch fans in the grandstands as he completed his post-session interview in parc ferme.

“Honestly, I’ve never actually felt so great with the booing,” Hamilton said. “If anything, it just fuels me, so I don’t really mind it.”

Speaking later in the post-qualifying press conference, Hamilton insisted he doesn’t take the booing to heart.

“I don’t really have anything to say about it,” he added. “People act wild when it’s sport and competition. I don’t take it to heart.

“I must be doing something right to be up front, so it’s pretty good for me otherwise.”

Hamilton was unable to improve on his fastest lap during his second run of Q3, but his time was still good enough to secure his 101st pole in F1.

“It was an amazing qualifying lap, that last one,” Hamilton said. “It’s been amazing teamwork from everyone this weekend, Valtteri included.

“Just trying to push the car forwards, developing constantly. The guys back at the factory just haven’t left any stone unturned.

“It’s been amazing to see everyone coming together and rallying up and pushing forward.”