The Monegasque Charles Leclerc will go on Sunday in first place in the Hungarian Grand Prix, 14th meeting on 24 of the season, offering Ferrari its first head of the year in GP on the nose and the beard of the McLaren.
The Ferrari driver has ahead of the leader of the Oscar Piastri (McLaren) championship of only 29 thousandths of a second on Saturday during the qualifications. Behind, the other McLaren, that of Lando Norris, will start from the second line next to George Russell, fourth behind the wheel of his Mercedes.
“I am speechless,” reacted Leclerc for a few moments after having won “one of the best head positions” in her career “because she is so unexpected! ».
And for good reason: since the beginning of the weekend, the McLaren have been making favor of favorites on the route of Hungarring, near Budapest. The public therefore waited logically to see the two papays contested their heads, holding the rest of the competition at a good distance.
“The wind has changed a lot, it seems pathetic to blame the wind, but it turned, therefore difficult to judge in these conditions,” said Piastri.
These qualifications were particularly important because the traced of the Hungaroring is narrow and the overruns are logically more difficult. The quality of the departures will therefore be crucial at the start of the race given on Sunday.
The third line of this last meeting before the holidays will be 100% green, with the two Aston Martin, those of the Spanish veteran of 44 years Fernando Alonso and the Quebecer launches Stroll, in this weekend.
The quadruple reigning champion Max Verstappen, who confirmed Thursday staying with Red Bull after weeks of rumors sending him to Mercedes, will only be 8th from his 200th GP with the Austrian team. In Hungary, the Dutchman signed his worst performance of the season in qualifying.
Same disappointment for Lewis Hamilton, who won eight times on the Hungaroring and has nine pole positions there but who will only start 12th, behind the young British Oliver Bearman, 11th for his first F1 weekend in Hungary.
Another pilot who still learns the Hungarian circuit in the elite, the Frenchman Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) qualified 10th, far ahead of his experienced compatriots Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Esteban Ocon (Haas), respectively 17th and 18th.
In the general classification, Piastri is in the lead with only 16 points ahead of Norris. Since the beginning of the year, the two McLaren pilots have given themselves a high -flying duel behind the wheel of a single -seater higher than its competitors.
