Leclerc unexpectedly takes pole at the Hungarian GP

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Sunday, August 3, 2025, p. a10

Hungaroring, Charles Leclerc shattered predictions yesterday by securing an unexpected pole position for Ferrari, ahead of McLaren, for the Hungarian Grand Prix, the fourteenth of the Formula 1 season.

Less than 30 thousandths of a second was the difference that allowed the Monegasque driver to secure his 27th pole position on the top circuit in motorsport, ahead of the leader of the overall World Championship standings, Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren).

I have no voice , celebrated Leclerc moments after having signed “one of the best poles ” of his career, because it is so unexpected!

He wasn't wrong. From the start of the weekend, the McLarens had been the favorites on the Hungaroring track near the capital, Budapest. The public assumed that one of the two papaya cars would take pole position.

The wind changed a lot, it seems pathetic to blame it, but it changed completely, it is difficult to make an assessment in those conditions , Piastri explained.

The other McLaren, driven by Briton Lando Norris, will start from the second row, alongside his compatriot George Russell, fourth at the wheel of his Mercedes.

Norris also pointed to the changing conditions in the final stretch of qualifying. "The wind shifted and penalized us ," he noted.

In the overall standings, Piastri leads by just 16 points over his English teammate. Since the beginning of the year, the two McLaren drivers have been engaged in an electrifying duel at the wheel of cars superior to the rest of the field.

Reigning four-time world champion, Dutchman Max Verstappen, who confirmed his stay at Red Bull on Thursday, thus quelling rumors that he would join Mercedes, will start today in eighth position in his 200th Grand Prix with the Austrian team.

Lewis Hamilton, an eight-time winner at the Hungaroring, where he took nine pole positions , suffered a similar disappointment. The Briton will start twelfth, behind his young compatriot Oliver Bearman, in 11th.

The 40-year-old Ferrari driver had harsh words for himself: "I'm completely useless ," he said, dejected. "The team doesn't have any problems. They've seen the car, it's on pole position . They should probably change drivers."

▲ Photo @Feyenoord

La Jornada Newspaper, Sunday, August 3, 2025, p. a10

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