Leclerc Surprises with Pole Position in Hungary
Ferrari’s driver, Charles Leclerc, left everyone perplexed after securing an unexpected pole position in the Hungarian Grand Prix, surpassing the two McLaren drivers. Leclerc, at the wheel of his Ferrari, set the fastest time in Q3, ahead of the championship leader, Oscar Piastri, by just 0.026 seconds. This achievement represents the first pole position of the season for Leclerc and the 27th of his career. The surprise was greater considering that Piastri led the time sheets in the Q1 and Q2 sessions. However, a change in weather conditions, with cloudy skies and wind, may have influenced the final result.Leclerc admitted that the qualifying session was complicated, feeling that the car was not up to par during much of the session. Despite the difficulties, he managed a clean lap in Q3, which earned him the coveted pole position. This result is Ferrari’s best in a Grand Prix qualifying session this year, and it comes after the team introduced an upgrade to the rear suspension at the Belgian Grand Prix the previous week.Today is a day when I no longer understand anything about the sport. The qualifying was horrible, from the first lap to the penultimate one. Everything seemed out of place. I felt that we had regressed compared to the final training sessions.
Charles Leclerc
Leclerc’s Ferrari teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who holds a record of eight victories and nine pole positions at Hungaroring, finished in 12th place after being eliminated in Q2. The team principal, Fred Vasseur, was cautious about the unexpected result, pointing out that the session was “difficult” and that Leclerc was close to being eliminated in Q2.It’s a great boost. The team has been pushing like crazy to bring improvements. Last weekend the team also brought an update and helped us go in the right direction. Being in pole position today is incredible and means we are doing something right.
Charles Leclerc
