With the F1 Dutch GP marking the end of the summer break, Charles Leclerc is still reflecting on what might have been at the Hungaroring. The Monégasque driver stunned the paddock with pole position in Budapest, but what looked like Ferrari’s best chance of victory in the first half of the season unravelled during the race.
Responding to Russell’s comment
After Hungary, George Russell suggested that Leclerc had to manage the car’s floor plank in the final stint, which led to his loss of pace. When asked about that theory ahead of the F1 Dutch GP, Leclerc refused to go into details.
“I’m not going to comment that,” he said. “I don’t really mind about what George said after the race. I think the situation is a lot more complex than what he portrayed, but I’m not really going to comment too much.
“As we’ve said, after Budapest, we are not going to go into the details of exactly what happened, etc. It’s something that we are trying to fix and that we are all working towards. The only thing I can say is that it’s a lot more complex than that.”
A missed opportunity
For Leclerc and Ferrari, the Hungarian GP was a bittersweet reminder of the team’s potential. Starting from pole on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult, the chance of a breakthrough win was real. Leclerc led in the early stages, but third stint struggles saw him slip down the order as the McLarens surged forward. He eventually finished fourth on the road.
Asked whether Budapest had been Ferrari’s best chance of victory this season, Leclerc was realistic but remained hopeful.
“Of the first part, for sure. Of the second half, I don’t know and I hope that we’ll be surprised,” he explained. “I mean, last year if you would have told me that we could have won Monza, I wouldn’t have believed the person that will tell me that.
“So I hope that we’ll be surprised once again. But yeah, I mean for sure starting on pole in Hungary on a track where it’s difficult to overtake was a very big opportunity and we won’t have many this year considering how strong McLaren are. But yeah, let’s wait and see.
“I mean, I don’t really focus too much on the odds. I’m much more focused on what we can do as a team in order to be in the best place to challenge McLaren, which at the moment are very, very strong.”
Focused on the future
McLaren’s resurgence has been the story of the 2025 season so far, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri consistently fighting at the front. For Leclerc, the task now is ensuring Ferrari can close that gap in the second half of the campaign.
Although Ferrari potentially let Hungary slip through their fingers, Leclerc refuses to dwell on missed opportunities.
