Charles Leclerc Secures Surprising Pole Position at Hungarian Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari claimed an unexpected pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton struggled to secure a top spot on the grid. The championship leader Oscar Piastri and his title rival Lando Norris were anticipated to battle for pole, but the McLaren drivers ended up in second and third positions respectively.
Leclerc narrowly edged out Piastri by 0.026 seconds, with Norris just 0.015 seconds behind the Australian driver. George Russell completed the top four for Mercedes. McLaren had shown dominance throughout the weekend at the Hungaroring, with Norris setting the fastest time in both Friday sessions and Piastri leading the final practice before qualifying.
Despite this, Leclerc delivered a remarkable performance to claim both his and Ferrari’s first pole of the season. The Monaco native expressed his surprise at the outcome, stating that the qualifying session was extremely challenging. He noted that getting through to Q2 and Q3 was difficult, and the changing conditions in Q3 made things even trickier. However, he managed to put together a clean lap to secure pole position.
Lewis Hamilton Faces Another Setback
Hamilton, who has eight wins and nine pole positions in Hungary, faced another setback after being eliminated in Q2. This marks the tenth time this season that Hamilton has been outqualified by Leclerc. His low grid position is likely to extend his streak without a podium finish to 14 races. Before this season, he had never gone more than 10 races without finishing in the top three.
Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli, also struggled, qualifying 15th after failing to progress beyond Q2. Antonelli has only scored once in his last seven appearances.
Other Drivers and Teams
Aston Martin have had a difficult season and are currently eighth in the constructors' standings. Both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll failed to make it past Q1 in the previous round. However, they managed to reach Q3 in Hungary, starting fifth and sixth respectively. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen qualified eighth for Red Bull.
Alex Albon, who has had a strong season, will start from the back of the pack after qualifying 20th. Yuki Tsunoda was also eliminated in Q1 for the fifth time this season, placing him 16th on the grid.
Top 10 Qualifying Results
- Charles Leclerc
- Oscar Piastri
- Lando Norris
- George Russell
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Max Verstappen
- Liam Lawson
- Isack Hadjar
Hamilton, after his early exit from qualifying, remarked, “Every time, every time.” He left the cockpit and walked towards the Ferrari motorhome, using his gloves to block the camera's glare.
With the race approaching, the focus will be on how the drivers perform on the track, especially given the challenges each team has faced this season.
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