BUDAPEST • The coronavirus pandemic may have kept Formula One fans away from races this year but, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the third race of the season, diehard followers dotted the hills around the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest.

Zoltan Toth, a mechanic from eastern Hungary, checked into his usual campsite, donned his old blue-and-white mullet wig on a bald scalp, a traditional Magyar costume, with a black "Formula 1 fan" vest, and enjoyed the action as he has done for the past 20 years.

"I have followed Kimi Raikkonen ever since he began to race and became a huge fan," he said.

"I have seen every race here in every year, and I won't stop just because the Ring is closed."

However, he is unlikely to see his idol win today, as the Finn finished last in qualifying yesterday in his Alfa Romeo.

Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton clinched his 90th career pole in a track record of 1min 13.447sec, a tenth of a second faster than his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. It was the German team's 65th front-row lockout.

Asked about his impressive pole mark, the Briton said: "I just have to pinch myself, it doesn't register. It feels very, very surreal... it doesn't seem real to have 90 poles.

"It's quite humbling to be honest because I get to work with an incredible group of people, without them I wouldn't have the opportunity to do so. Massively thankful to everyone who does such an amazing job.

"Valtteri doesn't make it easy for me at all, so it requires absolute perfection when doing laps and qualifying like that is one of the things I enjoy most."

It was his second successive pole and seventh at the Hungaroring - on par with Michael Schumacher. He is also aiming to win the race for the eighth time today to equal Schumacher's record for victories at the same grand prix.

The Ferrari great won eight times at the French Grand Prix.​

Bottas, the leader in the drivers' standings, said: "I saw in P3 it was going to be a close battle with Lewis and, as a team, we were again on a really strong level and apart from other teams, which is good for us.

"At the end my Q3 lap was really good but I couldn't really go faster. Lewis did a great job today to get the pole, as always, and it's going to be a bit of a drag race into Turn One so I look forward to that."

There was some surprise as the Mercedes-powered Racing Point cars of Canadian Lance Stroll and Mexican Sergio Perez locked out the second row.

Said Stroll on qualifying third: "Really great job by all the guys and I'm really pleased with the session. Now sights set on tomorrow and I'll try and grab some big points."

Behind them are the two Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, while Max Verstappen of Red Bull will start in seventh.

Verstappen's teammate Alexander Albon could finish only in 13th as both Red Bulls struggled for grip.

Lando Norris was eighth ahead of his McLaren teammate Carlos Sainz, with Pierre Gasly, in his 50th grand prix, 10th for Alpha Tauri.

Former British driver and Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle had only praise for the dominant Mercedes duo, who were nearly a second ahead of Stroll.

"What a pole that must be to drive," he said, before adding that Mercedes were in "a league of their own".

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

F1 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX

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