{"id":18352,"date":"2025-08-03T02:52:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T06:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/08\/03\/leclerc-is-in-front-of-piastri-on-a-shocking-hungarian-gp-pole\/"},"modified":"2025-08-03T02:52:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T06:52:36","slug":"leclerc-is-in-front-of-piastri-on-a-shocking-hungarian-gp-pole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/08\/03\/leclerc-is-in-front-of-piastri-on-a-shocking-hungarian-gp-pole\/","title":{"rendered":"Leclerc is in front of Piastri on a shocking Hungarian GP pole"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Charles Leclerc was speechless after winning a ferocious final lap in the third quarter after pinching Oscar Piastri and Rand Norris&#8217; pole positions for the Hungarian Grand Prix.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Leclerc finished third in all three practice sessions at Hungarrolling, behind the dominant McLaren driver, kicking out the tentative Paul Getter Piastri after 1.2 seconds after the first lap in the shootout. However, with rapid-changing conditions and ambient temperature drops, the Ferrari car was lively, and when neither McLaren could improve for the first time, the doors were open to the top spot in the rocket&#8217;s native Monaco.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Leclerc couldn&#8217;t set the purple time in any of the three sectors, but found a stunning 1.258 on the final lap to set the benchmark on the 1M15.372S. He was the only driver in the third quarter, improving the time in the second quarter and was enough to overcome Piastri&#8217;s fastest lap in a small but decisive 0.026 seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">It shocked Leclerc and after being told he had put the qualifiers on top, he strolled crazy on the team&#8217;s radio.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">&#8220;Today, I don&#8217;t understand anything in Formula 1,&#8221; he said. \u201cTo be honest, the whole qualifying was very difficult, and when I say it is very difficult, it&#8217;s not exaggerated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">\u201cIn Q3, the conditions changed a bit, everything became very difficult and I knew I had to do some pretty rap to target my third target.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">&#8220;I have no words. It&#8217;s probably one of the best pole positions I&#8217;ve ever had.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"MuiBox-root mui-1jpm9pd\">\n<div class=\"MuiStack-root mui-1bpk2h0\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.contentstack.io\/v3\/assets\/blte77f57883ea46be1\/blt1f17d7b5be55fbe1\/688e31f9c51c7af9b8e998fd\/GettyImages-2228195913.jpg\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"\" style=\"object-fit:contain;filter:none\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"MuiBox-root mui-1cdqc4i\">\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-1spw0db\">Leclerc had to manipulate his Ferrari, but it still went beyond his expectations. Joe Portlock\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">With its difficult to pass around narrow hanger rings, Leclerc has a great chance to turn Ferrari&#8217;s first pole into his first victory.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">&#8220;Start and turn 1 are important,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know what will happen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">&#8220;One thing to be sure is we&#8217;ll do absolutely everything to keep that first place. By doing that, it should make our lives easier for the rest of the race.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Piastri was surprised that McLaren&#8217;s benefits had suddenly subsided, so the Australians denounced the wind for the team&#8217;s instantaneous loss of performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">&#8220;It&#8217;s always a very pathetic responsibility for Wind things, but Wind basically went 180 from Q3 from Q3,&#8221; he said. \u201cThat meant that a lot of the corners felt completely different.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">&#8220;My first lap in Q3 felt pretty bad because I wasn&#8217;t used to it. I thought the second lap was much better, but it was even slower. It was probably not the best run, but I was a bit surprised I couldn&#8217;t go any faster.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Norris sets the fastest time for qualifying, but was set in the second quarter. Failing to match that effort in the third quarter, he qualified third and 0.041 seconds from Paul.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">&#8220;Q2, I think it showed us how fast we can go and how good we can, but as soon as the wind changed everything disappeared,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Charles did a good job on his final lap, but perhaps he was a little more at risk in these conditions.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">George Russell starts out in Mercedes fourth after wrapping Leclair&#8217;s only 0.053 and sharing the second line with Norris.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Aston Martin produced a stunning turnaround from its grid-back performance in Belgium, putting both cars in the Q3. Fernando Alonso led the Lance walks fifth and sixth respectively, both of which matched closely over 0.1 seconds from the pace.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Gabriel Boltreto made the third third quarter appearance of the final four Grands Prixes as Sauber qualified ahead of Max Verstappen. The world champions didn&#8217;t look like real Paul contenders, despite going ahead of Leclair after the first lap of the shootout.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Racing Bulls teammates Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar completed the top 10.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Andrea Kimi Antonelli was knocked out to No. 11 in the late second quarter on a rapidly improving track condition. Antoneri then removed the fastest lap due to track restrictions and was demoted to 15th place for leaving the last in the second quarter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Oliver Bareman was promoted to the 11th before Lewis Hamilton, his best rap was ruined by a series of oversteered snaps in the final sector, leaving him in the 0.247s on Leclerc in that segment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Carlos Sain will be in 13th place on the 14th, ahead of Franco Colapinto. It is the first time Colapinto has surpassed Gasly since the Canadian Grand Prix, and has moved ahead two times overall. This year marks the third time Guthrie has qualified behind his teammates, with the third being Jack Doohan&#8217;s in Miami.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Yuki Tsunoda collided with the first quarter at the final moments, missing out on progress by just 0.024S as the track increased dramatically in the final minutes of the segment, benefiting those who completed the laps later than him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">This is the third time a Japanese driver has been knocked out in bottom 5 since the last five Grands Prix. He will be 16th in the Grand Prix.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Guthrie was 17th ahead of Esteban Ocon, who resigned. Esteban Ocon reported a screw on the lower right tire as he left the pit lane for the final lap.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\">Nico Furkenberg was in 19th place, appearing to be competitive throughout Sauber practice, but the biggest shock in the segment was Alex Albon, who was removed in the first quarter of the season for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-8yrj4i\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\"><\/span><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-16im5e3\"><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-1xiksx1\">result<\/span><\/span><span class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-body1 mui-xn9in4\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Charles Leclerc was speechless after winning a ferocious final lap in the third quarter after pinching Oscar Piastri and Rand Norris&#8217; pole positions for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Leclerc finished third in all three practice sessions at Hungarrolling, behind the dominant McLaren driver, kicking out the tentative Paul Getter Piastri after 1.2 seconds after the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[19,18,117],"class_list":{"0":"post-18352","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-racing","8":"tag-formula","9":"tag-formula-racing","10":"tag-racing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}