After the final practice session for the 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix the AT&T Williams F1 team would see their drivers finish in fourteenth and fifteenth. Rubens Barrichello would be ahead of team-mate Pastor Maldonado as the team still worked on trying to extract more pace from the FW33. Now it was down to how far up the grid they can get themselves at a track where start position plays such a major role. The drivers have the use of the soft and super soft tyre for this session, with the super soft tyre around a second per lap faster.

The opening twenty minute period would commence with it now overcast. With the start it would be HRT's Ricciardo coming out first followed by Liuzzi. It was also very windy as more drivers took to the track including Vettel, Petrov, Sutil, Di Resta, Glock and D'Ambrosio. Ricciardo would set a 1m:28.055 but Liuzzi would move ahead with a 1m:27.850. We now had both McLaren's, Webber, Schumacher, Rosberg, and Heidfeld all coming out. For Williams Pastor would be first out followed shortly after by Rubens. Both HRT cars would
pit with both drivers coming back out. Vettel would go fastest with a 1m:22.387 from Glock and D'Ambrosio. Webber would move up to second with a 1m:23.237. Button was now second with a time of 1m:22.697 but it would be Hamilton who was flying setting a 1m:21.636 to be fastest.

Webber was fourth from Di Resta, Petrov, Pastor and Kobayashi. Pastor's time was a 1m:24.288. Button was now second with a 1m:22.363 while Rosberg and Schumacher weer now fourth and fifth. Hamilton would pit while Pastor had dropped to tenth. Massa was out on the track and up to fourth, 1m:22.576. Rubens would move into twelfth with a lap of 1m:23.977 seeing Pastor now thirteenth. So with ten minutes remaining it was Hamilton from Vettel, Button, Massa, Rosberg, Schumacher, Webber, Di Resta, Petrov, and Sutil in tenth. Alonso would move ahead of Massa and into third, 1m:22.111, but Button would take this spot with a 1m:22.038. Rubens and Pastor were now fourteenth and fifteenth. Webber would move up to fifth, 1m:22.208, as Rubens moved into eleventh with a time of 1m:23.771. Rubens was still on the prime tyre.

The track was quite empty after the initial runs by the drivers. We only had Rubens and both Ferrari's out on the track. Rubens would pit as Alonso went fastest with a 1m:21.578. Massa would be fifth as we now saw drivers coming out on the super soft tyres. Rosberg was back out currently in eighth. Di Resta was on the option tyre for his next run. Pastor was also back out followed by Rubens. The top six drivers were still in their pits and unlikely to come back out. Petrov would improve to be tenth, 1m:23.070, but Perez would move
into this spot. Sutil would now be seventh, 1m:22.237 with Schumacher eighth and Di Resta ninth. Rubens and Pastor had dropped to sixteenth and seventeenth. Pastor was sill on the prime tyre while Rubens was on an improved lap. Rubens was also on the prime tyre ending his lap with a 1m:23.075 to be fourteenth. Pastor was now eighteenth and was able to start a final lap as the session came to an end.

Pastor was also on a better lap ending with a 1m:23.847 to be seventeenth. He would just make it into the second period seeing Rubens and Pastor in fourteenth and seventeenth. Those not making the cut were Buemi, Kovalainen, Trulli, Glock, Liuzzi, Ricciardo, and D'Ambrosio. At the front it was Alonso from Hamilton, Vettel, Button, Massa, Webber, Sutil, Schumacher, Di Resta, and Rosberg in tenth.

It was surprising to see both Williams cars out on the prime tyre in the closing minutes of the opening period, especially when their rivals were out on the option super soft tyre. But having said that they did make it into the second fifteen minute period. The period would commence with Di Resta out first joined by Vettel, Sutil, Rubens and Perez. Vettel was on the option tyre as Hamilton took to the track. Webber would also come out while Hamilton was out on the prime tyre and Button the option tyre. Rosberg and Kobayashi were next out as Vettel attacked straight away setting a 1m:21.095 with Di Resta second, 1m:23.476. Perez was second with a 1m:22.911 with Sutil now fourth.

Rubens had set a slow 1m:31.154 on his first lap as the only car yet to come out was that of Pastor. Hamilton was now second and Rosberg third. Webber would push them all down one place going fastest with a 1m:20.890. But Webber would go into second as Button went fastest with a 1m:20.578. Rubens was now tenth with a time of 1m:23.593. With seven minutes remaining Pastor was still in his pit as Alonso set a 1m:20.262 to fastest on the option tyre. Button was now second from a pitting Webber in third. Rubens had dropped to sixteenth with Pastor yet to set a time.

Massa had moved up to fifth, 1m:21.099, from Hamilton, Rosberg, Petrov, Schumacher, and Heidfeld. With just under five minutes remaining only Perez was out on the track. Pastor was in his car with four minutes remaining. Some teams had been using several sets of the super soft tyres but Williams had been sticking to the prime tyre. Rubens and Sutil would return to the track as Perez moved up to eighth with a 1m:22.157 running on the option tyre. Rubens was also out on the option tyre as Rubens complained that he did not have full KERS. He was told that it was latched and that he could fix the problem behind the steering wheel. Despite his issue Rubens would move up to eleventh, 1m:22.684. As the period came to an end Sutil would move up to eighth with Perez ninth and Di Resta tenth.

Pastor would not come out at all while Rubens would drop to fifteenth and would pit. Schumacher, on his last lap, would move up to eighth with a time of 1m:21.852. So those not making the cut were Di Resta, Petrov, Kobayashi, Heidfeld, Rubens, Alguersuari, and Pastor. The top ten would be Alonso, Button, Webber, Vettel, Massa, Hamilton, Rosberg, Schumacher, Sutil, and Perez. As yet there was no explanation as to why Pastor did
not come out for a second run.

The final ten minute period would commence with no one taking to the track straight away. First out would be Alonso from Hamilton. Both weer on the option tyre. Button, Massa, and Sutil would also come out followed by Vettel and Webber. With seven minutes remaining we had yet to see either Mercedes or Perez come out. Sutil would pit as Alonso set a 1m:20.365 to go fastest. But Hamilton would go faster with a 1m:19.978. Button was now third, 1m:20.463, with Massa fourth.

Vettel was now second with a 1m:20.045 while Webber was down in sixth with a time of 1m:20.768. Alonso would pit joined by Hamilton and Button. Massa was next to come in joined by Vettel. We now had all ten cars in the pits with three minutes remaining. Alonso and Rosberg would have to come out, Rosberg for his first run. Quickly all ten cars would be out on the track for their final attempts at pole. Webber had been told that his KERS was now available for this run. Vettel would go fastest in sector one but he would be beaten by Hamilton. Massa would go even faster in sector one as Vettel finished his lap to go fastest with a 1m:19.815. Hamilton was now second but could not improve while Alonso was third. But both Button and Massa would move ahead pushing Alonso to fifth. Webber was sixth from Rosberg, Sutil, Schumacher, and Perez in tenth.

With Vettel securing pole the Williams team would see their drivers start from fifteenth seventeenth. Sunday's race is going to be difficult and frustrating for the team and drivers. Any hope of securing any points in the race is going to come down to a large amount of good fortune as the FW33 is still struggling for pace. But having said that at least they are consistently making it into the second period. It was later confirmed that Pastor had not come out for second run preferring to save a set of the super soft tyres.