In an unexpected twist, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has claimed pole position in Qualifying for the F1 Hungarian GP.
Ahead of the weekend, Leclerc wasn’t confident about his chances in the Hungarian GP, citing struggles with his driving style on this track as a reason for his lowered expectations.
Despite the Hungaroring not being one of the Monegasque’s favorites, he showed great form right from the start of the weekend, claiming P3 in all three practice sessions.
His practice form made Leclerc a prime candidate to line up behind the dominant McLaren at the end of Qualifying.
By the time Qualifying arrived, temperatures started to drop, and Ferrari started to struggle to replicate their solid form from practice.
At times, it even looked like Q3 wasn’t as sure of a bet. Leclerc prevailed, however, and made it into the final segment.
His first run, on a used set of the soft tyre, put Leclerc on the lower end of the Top 10, and it didn’t look like he would be best of the rest behind McLaren.
It all changed on the final run, where Leclerc pulled out an unbelievable lap that saw the 27-year-old jump to the top of the timing sheets.
With other cars, especially the two McLarens, still finishing behind Pole was by no means secure.
In the end, Leclerc’s lap time held firm, and the Ferrari driver claimed his first pole position of 2025 and 27th overall.
Leclerc on his Qualifying
In the press conference following Qualifying for the Hungarian GP, Leclerc was still surprised by the result, especially given his struggles throughout the session.
“Well, today is a day where I don’t understand anything anymore in motorsport!
“I mean, honestly, qualifying felt horrible.
“From the first lap to maybe the penultimate lap, everything felt out of place.
“It really felt like we had done a step backwards from FP3.
“And in terms of competitiveness, Q1, I was on the limit, barely made it to Q2.
“Q2 I was on the limit, I mean, I did quite a big mistake in Turn 4, but still, it wasn’t easy to get to Q3.
“And then Q3, the conditions I think changed for everybody.
“I basically just did a clean lap, which I think was a really good lap because those conditions were very difficult to get everything right.
“And I did, but I was really happy about the lap, and it’s probably the biggest, the most surprising pole position I’ve ever done.
“I think after FP3 it wouldn’t have been so surprising.
“But after Q1 and Q2, I really thought we would struggle to get into the top five even. So, I’m very happy.”
Changing conditions posed a challenge.
The weather conditions changed drastically, with temperatures dropping throughout the session. Wind also moved around.
Asked whether the changing conditions helped Ferrari and Leclerc in Q3 compared to the McLarens, the Monegasque could only draw from his own experience.
Leclerc recalled that his SF-25 felt ‘more difficult’ to drive in the final stages of Qualifying.
Despite the difficulties, Leclerc managed a solid lap that he thought was good enough to qualify for P3, but he was surprised to emerge in P1, given the tricky session.
“I mean, I don’t drive the McLaren car, so it’s difficult to comment, but for sure the car was a lot more difficult in Q3 than it was in Q2, but then I don’t know if it’s more difficult compared to the McLaren or easier.
“But for sure, we gained competitiveness not only towards McLaren, but towards everybody in Q3.
“Because when I finished the lap, I really thought that this was probably good enough for P3 just, but definitely not P1.
“So, it was a good surprise. However, it also felt worse for me from Q2 to Q3.
“It was just very tricky.”
A step in the right direction for Ferrari
It has been a challenging season for Ferrari, with the Maranello-based team falling short of expectations for a title triumph.
The surprise pole in the Hungarian GP will serve as a boost for the team that worked hard to bring upgrades to the SF-25 in Belgium, says Leclerc.
With a podium in the Belgian GP and the pole in Hungary, it would appear Ferrari has made a step in the right direction.
“It’s a big boost.
“I mean, the team has been pushing like crazy to bring upgrades.
“Last weekend the team brought an upgrade as well, and it helped us to go in the right direction.
“We didn’t know how much.
“And as I said in Spa, I think we need to judge over a few races and not only one.
“But yes, to be able to be on pole position today is amazing, and it means that we are doing something right.
“So, again, I think for many things I did not expect to be on pole also because I was saying on Thursday, this is probably the worst track for me statistically over the season.
“I’ve always trailed. But this weekend, for some reason, I found some pace.
“So yeah, it’s good.”
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s race
The Hungaroring is often coined as ‘Monaco without walls’, given that overtakes are hard to accomplish due to the track’s characteristics.
However, with rain in the air, overtakes might be a little easier to manage, believes Leclerc, who will work hard to defend his position in tomorrow’s Hungarian GP.
“I mean, I don’t know.
“I think there’s some rain around tomorrow, so if that is the case, then it’s obviously easier to overtake.
“But it’s always better to be starting first, especially on this track.
“So, I’m very happy with my starting position and now full focus on trying to keep it tomorrow.”
