Charles Leclerc delivered one of the most dramatic qualifying performances of the season, snatching pole position for Ferrari at the Hungarian Grand Prix in a session full of surprises and shifting conditions.
With McLaren dominating practice, few expected Leclerc to top the timesheets. But a masterful 1:15.372 lap in Q3 stunned the paddock and left Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris trailing by fractions.
Piastri missed out by just 0.026 seconds. Norris was a mere 0.015 seconds behind him. The McLaren duo had looked unbeatable in Q2, where Norris set a blistering 1:14.980.
But as clouds rolled in and the wind picked up in Q3, everything changed. Track temperatures dropped and grip vanished. Drivers struggled to replicate earlier times.
Leclerc, who scraped through Q2 by the slimmest of margins, was as surprised as anyone. “Honestly, the whole qualifying has been extremely difficult,” he admitted. “I knew I just had to do a clean lap to target third (but) at the end of the day it’s pole.”
It marked Ferrari’s first Grand Prix pole of the season, coming just a week after their suspension upgrade in Belgium. The timing could not be better for a team desperate to close the gap to McLaren and Red Bull.
Piastri said the wind changes made several corners feel “completely different,” adding, “it always sounds so pathetic blaming things on the wind.” Norris echoed the sentiment, saying Leclerc “probably risked a little more in these conditions.”
George Russell impressed with fourth for Mercedes. Fernando Alonso matched his season-best in fifth for Aston Martin. Teammate Lance Stroll followed in sixth, while Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto continued his rise with seventh.
Max Verstappen could only manage eighth after a frustrating session. The Red Bull star has struggled for balance all weekend. Racing Bulls teammates Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top ten.
Lewis Hamilton missed Q3 by just 0.008 seconds and was visibly deflated. “Absolutely useless,” he said when asked to assess his performance.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was denied a strong result after a track limits penalty dropped him to 15th. Carlos Sainz, Franco Colapinto, and Pierre Gasly all endured mixed sessions, with Tsunoda again exiting in Q1.
As the grid resets for race day, Leclerc’s pole injects a jolt of unpredictability into the title fight. Hungary may yet deliver fireworks for F1 fans.
