Following a huge upset in qualifying for the F1 Hungarian GP that saw Charles Leclerc snatch pole position, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella spoke about the session after his drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris ended up in P2 and P3.
It all looked so good for McLaren. They dominated practice, going 1-2 in every session with a healthy margin to Charles Leclerc. As Ferrari struggled in the lower temperatures through Q1 and Q2, it looked even more comfortable to the likes of the Astons and George Russell.
However, the wind changed direction in Q3 and all logic went out the window. Piastri and Norris went from 1:14.9 and 1:14.8 laps in Q2 to 1:15.3 and 1:15.4 laps in the final segment. It was a stark drop.
That opened the door for Leclerc to snatch pole by 0.026s. He found 0.083s compared to his Q2 run. The other 9 drivers all went slower.
Andrea Stella on Charles Leclerc’s deserved pole and McLarens understanding Q3 in F1 Hungarian GP qualifying
Speaking after the session to Sky Sports, Stella was left to praise the pole lap by Charles Leclerc for the F1 Hungarian GP. He was also left to ponder whether Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris played it a bit too safe in the final segment when the wind changed.
“Well, having seen the performance of the car in practice and also in Q1 and Q2, we were certainly looking forward to trying and lock out the first row on the grid.
“But today the conditions were very weird, very dependent on the wind. There was a change of conditions from Q2 to Q3. And I have to say we paid a bit of a price.
“I think our drivers might have been also a bit cautious because you never knew what kind of grip you find for each corner, so we went four tenths slower than Q2, while Leclerc went faster and he deserved the pole position.
“Well done to Leclerc and well done to Ferrari.”
The sensitive nature of F1 cars shown in Hungarian GP qualifying
As many qualifying sessions have shown through the years, a change in wind direction can really swing performance between cars. McLaren looked unbeatable until Q3. Then everything changed.
Stella explained how tricky it was for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in Q3 as they lost so much time versus Q2.
“Well, Formula One cars are aerodynamic machines and having the headwind, having the tailwind or the sidewind, it makes so much of an effect in terms of grip that you experience in a corner.
“And for the drivers this is also not visible, so you somehow, while we give the drivers some references as to the wind direction in days like today, especially in Q3, it was very gusty and variable.
“It depends a little bit on the amount of risks that you want to take and then you have to make some adaptations based on how the wind is behaving.
“But like I say, still a very good position, well done to Ferrari and we have a bit more work to do tomorrow than we might have anticipated, but we look forward to a good race.”
