#F1 #Qualifying: @CharlesLeclerc claims shock #HungarianGP pole position.

Leclerc Hungarian GP Pole – Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc clinched a shock 27^th-career pole position in a thrilling qualifying session at the Hungarian GP pipping McLaren pairing Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris by a very slim 0.026 and 0.041 seconds respectively.

This was Ferrari’s first pole position of the season and the first at the Hungaroring since four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel in 2017.

In Q3, the initial flying laps saw Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll the first to set the benchmark of a 1:16.660, but this was beaten by team-mate Fernando Alonso’s 1:16.025 as RB’s Liam Lawson split the duo in second.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc then split Alonso and Lawson with his 1:16.630.

Norris then shot to the top with a 1:15.414 until Piastri then pipped Norris with a 1:15.398 to be 0.096 seconds clear with a purple final sector.

Mercedes George Russell with two purple sectors and a personal best could only manage third with his 1:15.632 effort as replays showed the Briton suffer a snap of oversteer out of the final corner and ended up 0.234 seconds off Piastri’s provisional pole effort.

Red Bull’s Verstappen slotted into fifth splitting Alonso and Leclerc with his 1:15.183 flying lap.

The final hot-laps saw Stroll improve to P3 with a 1:15.498, as his team-mate Alonso with a purple sector one jumped to P2 to be 0.083 seconds off Piastri after a solid 1:15.481.

Leclerc was next with a purple middle sector and two personal bests then pushed to P1 with a 1:15.372 and 0.026 seconds clear of Piastri to take the pole.

Piastri was next and with a personal best sector three could not improve whilst Norris was unable to improve also on his final flyer despite a personal best middle sector and a purple final sector.

Both McLaren’s of Piastri and Norris ended up second and third and only 0.026 and 0.041 off of Leclerc’s pole effort.

Mercedes’ Russell improved up to fourth on his last lap and ahead of Aston Martin pairing of Alonso and Stroll who were fifth and sixth respectively.

Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto took seventh and in-front of Verstappen who placed eighth for Red Bull whilst RB duo Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top ten.

In the second qualifying stage, which was topped by Norris, a flurry of late improvements saw Bortoleto send Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli out of Q2 – The Italian had his lap-time deleted making him the slowest of the Q2 runners.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Oliver Bearman miss a Q3 appearance by a very narrow 0.007 seconds and will start the Hungarian GP 11^th.

Scuderia Ferrari’s Sir Lewis Hamilton was the shock eliminatee of the session wounding up 12^th and in-front of Williams’ Carlos Sainz who placed 13^th and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto who ended up 14^th.

The aforementioned Antonelli was 15^th in the classification.

In the opening segment, which was topped by Piastri, as the track continued to ramp up and the lap-times tumbled – Lawson sent Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda out of Q1 meaning the Japanese driver will start the Hungarian GP 16^th and missed out on a Q2 appearance by a slim 0.024 seconds.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly ended up 17^th and in-front of Haas’s Esteban Ocon who took 18^th.

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Williams’ Alexander Albon brought up the rear.

You can see the full Formula 1 Lenovo Hungarian Grand Prix 2025 Qualifying Results Classification at the link: FORMULA 1 LENOVO HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX 2025 – QUALIFYING

2025 Hungarian GP Qualifying – The Top Three

2025 Hungarian GP Pole Position – Charles Leclerc, #16, Scuderia Ferrari, SF-25 – 1:15.372:

“The whole Qualifying was extremely difficult. It was difficult to get to Q2 and difficult to get to Q3. Then the conditions changed, I knew I had to do a clean lap to target third, and I can’t believe it. Honestly, I have no words. It is probably one of the best pole positions I have had, as it is so unexpected.”

2^nd Place – Oscar Piastri, #81, McLaren Formula 1 Team-Mercedes, MCL39 – 1:15.398:

“The wind changed a lot, it sounds so pathetic blaming the wind, but it switched around. It was difficult to judge in those conditions, maybe not the best execution. I was surprised we couldn’t go quicker than that. Charles has been quick all weekend, and even this morning he was closer than expected. I wasn’t expecting to be second to a Ferrari this weekend, but he’s done a good job.”

3^rd Place – Lando Norris, #4, McLaren Formula 1 Team-Mercedes, MCL39 – 1:15.413:

“Charles did a good lap, probably risked a bit more. The wind changed and seemed to punish us. But nothing to complain of, we both did good laps, and it wasn’t enough. I want to go forwards and I want to win. I think it will be an exciting race; I expect us to have a bit more pace than Charles, so I am looking forward to it.”

2025 F1 World Championship Standings