Torrential 'blessing' boosts Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton thanked a "blessing" from the skies after he led Valtteri Bottas in a Mercedes front-row lockout for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Mercedes have spent much of the weekend well off the pace of Ferrari, but Hamilton mastered a wet qualifying to turn momentum back to the Silver Arrows.

Vettel was dominant in qualifying and also translated that form to Q1 and Q2 as changing conditions played havoc with strategies.

However, a full-wet final session saw Hamilton click into gear as he once again got the better of Vettel in sodden conditions, having won a wet German Grand Prix six days prior.

"It was such a tricky session," said Hamilton. "We could see we started out with a large part of the track was dry, making the right calls, getting the timing spot on is everything in these conditions.

"Maybe you're a minute early or late and it's raining more, it's very, very difficult out there.

"To get a 1-2, particularly when we knew that we were not going to be getting pole in the dry, the Ferrari's too fast in the dry, [we were looking to] maybe lock out the second row.

"So for the heavens to open to be in these positions is such a blessing for us.

"It's quite a shock, was not expecting to be here, so very happy."

Ferrari will be expected to respond if dry conditions remain for Sunday's race, but a chance of rain may give Hamilton cause for hope.

"It's great for the team to have a one-two. We couldn't have expected this. Ferrari have been quickest all weekend and we were doing our best to catch up, but then the heavens opened and it was fair game.

"It's so tricky out there, at the beginning it was dry and then it got wetter so it was hard to say how much grip we had.

"When it was dryer it was a bit like doing ballet and tiptoeing trying to find a line. It was give and take all the way around. We've got a great position so we're going to do our best as a team and keep the red guys behind us."