Charles Leclerc’s F1 Hungarian GP weekend turned from potential triumph to frustration after a chassis issue destroyed his winning chances.
Strong start for Leclerc at F1 Hungarian GP
Leclerc secured pole position during Saturday’s qualifying session, setting up what was going to be an outstanding performance for him at the F1 Hungarian GP. The Ferrari driver maintained his lead at the start and controlled the early race phases.
Ferrari executed their strategy perfectly during Leclerc’s early Hungarian GP charge. The team equalled their fastest pit stop of the season at 2.0 seconds. This allowed Leclerc to stay ahead after Oscar Piastri‘s failed undercut attempt.
For 40 laps, Leclerc’s looked set for potential victory. He maintained a gap to Oscar Piastri, with George Russell well behind them. The SF-25 showed strong pace throughout the opening two stints.
Chassis issues end Leclerc’s victory hopes
Around lap 40, the Monegasque driver began experiencing handling issues. The problem worsened progressively, making the car increasingly difficult to drive. By the final stint, Ferrari was losing around two seconds per lap to the McLarens in front, and Russell behind.
“I started to feel the issue in lap 40, or something like that,” Leclerc explained post-race in the print media pen. “It got worse, lap after lap after lap, and towards the end we were two seconds off the pace. And the car was just undriveable. This was an issue, and it’s an outlier, it shouldn’t ever happen again, I’m still very disappointed,” he continued.
The chassis problem was not immediately obvious during his F1 Hungarian GP struggles. Ferrari’s data analysis failed to detect the issue during the race. Only detailed post-race examination confirmed the mechanical fault affecting his performance.
When asked about if the team could see the problem on the data and if they were able to inform him, Leclerc responded saying: “I think it was quite tricky, otherwise I probably would have known, and they would have told me. Apparently it wasn’t obvious on data. However, now we can definitely confirm that there was a problem.“
When asked about the cause, Leclerc admitted uncertainty.
“I don’t know yet how it was caused, but we will look into it.”
Leclerc’s race goes down the drain
Piastri overtook Leclerc as soon as the Ferrari’s pace deteriorated. George Russell also passed the struggling Ferrari driver, dropping Leclerc down to fourth position.
A five-second penalty for erratic driving further damaged Leclerc’s F1 Hungarian GP day. The penalty did not change his final position after the final race classification, however.
When asked about his defensive move against Russell, Leclerc was philosophical. “Well, I knew I was on the limit. I don’t have much opinion about it. I felt like I moved before braking, and then I brake, obviously angling my car towards the apex, which is normally what I do.”
He acknowledged Russell’s radio complaints.
“I can imagine George being quite vocal on the radio. It’s normally the case.“
Leclerc was not bothered by the penalty’s impact.
“I don’t mind, especially on a race like this. If there was a safety car in the race, and I would have taken a five-second penalty, I probably would have been a lot more frustrated, but it wasn’t the case.“
“We had one opportunity this year to win a race, which I think was this weekend,” Leclerc reflected. “The first stint was perfect. The first laps of the second stint was really good as well, and I think we were in pace to try and win that race. The last stint was a disaster when I started to have that issue on the chassis.“
Leclerc’s Hungarian GP disappointment highlights Ferrari struggles
Leclerc’s result at the Hungarian GP highlighted Ferrari’s ongoing pace deficit to McLaren. Despite securing pole position, Leclerc acknowledged his team remains behind their championship rivals.
“I’m not sure. I don’t think so. I think they are the strongest team out there, and even today they were very, very fast,” Leclerc said about challenging McLaren post-summer break.
He explained his race strategy: “What gave me hope of winning is that we were starting first, and with a dirty air, it’s a struggle to get past, which I think Oscar had probably a bit more pace than me, but couldn’t overtake.
“I don’t think we are going into the second half of the season thinking that we can win anywhere, and that’s what makes the frustration even bigger, because we knew that this was one opportunity probably over the season, and we had to take it, but unfortunately with this issue, we couldn’t do much.”
Leclerc’s moment of realisation during the F1 Hungarian GP
When asked about the moment he realized victory was slipping away, Leclerc revealed his initial confusion.
“When I started to feel the issues, I didn’t really know where that came from. I thought it was from a change we did on the front wing at the pit stop, being too aggressive, but then of course it got a lot worse, and then it seemed a bit off to me.
“When I first felt the very strange behavior of the car, I was like, OK, if this is staying, it’s going to slip away from us,” he explained. “It wasn’t very consistent, but basically every corner it was doing something different.”
Team unity despite disappointment at the Hungarian GP
Leclerc also addressed teammate Lewis Hamilton’s struggles during the Hungarian GP weekend. Hamilton had been highly self-critical after qualifying, but Leclerc showed support for his teammate.
“At the end, we are one team, and as much as I want to finish in front of Lewis, I want both of us to be successful, and Ferrari to be successful,” Leclerc stated. “Obviously this weekend has been a tough one for Lewis, but I have no doubt that it’s a one-off, and I’m sure the second part of the season will be a lot more positive.”
Looking forward
As Formula 1 heads into the summer break, Leclerc’s Hungarian GP weekend serves as a harsh lesson for the team. Mechanical reliability proved decisive in determining the Monegasque driver’s outcome this weekend, costing him a rare victory opportunity. The F1 Hungarian GP demonstrated both Ferrari’s potential and their current limitations against McLaren’s pace advantage.
