In the final free practice session , Lance completed 16 laps of the 4.3km Hungaroring circuit, setting a 1:18.050 lap time to end the morning in P10.
In Q1, Lance began the session on a set of new Soft Pirelli tyres to set a 1:17.452 lap time to slot into a provisional P8 position.
Switching to another new set of Soft tyres, Lance continued to improve on his lap time and, with a clear track, the Canadian driver put in a 1:17.038 lap time, ending Q1 in P6 and securing his place into Q2.
For Q2, Lance again took to the track on a set of Soft tyres and put in a 1:17.638 time on his first run.
On his second run, Lance improved on his lap time, setting a 1:16.893 effort to put him within Q3 contention.
A flurry of late fast times dropped Lance into P12 and into his final grid slot.
Lance Stroll – Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team Driver
“We were so close to making Q3, so it is a bit of a shame to only secure P12 on the grid. There are some mixed feelings because we were competitive in Q1 and finished P6 at that stage, but Q2 was a little trickier. Still, the positive is that we have a free tyre choice for tomorrow’s race, and we will be able to consider a different strategy from the drivers in the top 10. It was tricky out there in such hot conditions and the tyre drop-off in the final sector today shows that degradation could be a factor tomorrow. Anything can happen in the race, so points are still achievable – and that is our goal.”
Lance will be back on track for the Hungarian Grand Prix from 2pm BST on Sunday August 1.