Ferrari claimed their first pole position of the Formula One season at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc topping the timesheets in a tightly contested qualifying session at the Hungaroring. The Monegasque driver edged out McLaren's Oscar Piastri by two-hundredths of a second, with Lando Norris in third and the top four separated by just four-hundredths.
Lewis Hamilton, a record nine-time pole winner in Hungary, endured a dismal session, failing to progress beyond Q2. The 40-year-old, who joined Ferrari from Mercedes this season, was left deeply frustrated, describing his performance as “useless” and questioning his own ability. He will start the race from 12th place, compounding a difficult campaign in which he has now failed to reach Q3 on four occasions.
Leclerc's triumph came amid changing conditions in Q3, as rain began to fall and wind direction shifted. The Ferrari driver, who had struggled earlier in qualifying, delivered a clean lap to seize pole, his 27th in F1. “Today is a day where I don’t understand anything any more about the sport,” he said. “Qualifying felt horrible. Everything felt out of place.”
Ferrari's recent upgrade to the rear suspension, designed to improve performance through slow corners, appeared to pay dividends after a challenging first half of the season. However, McLaren are expected to hold a race pace advantage on Sunday.
George Russell qualified fourth for Mercedes, followed by Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Gabriel Bortoleto took seventh for Sauber, Max Verstappen eighth for Red Bull, and Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar ninth and tenth for Racing Bulls.
