Charles Leclerc stunned the field by taking pole position for the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, beating the dominant McLaren duo who had led every session heading into qualifying.
The Ferrari driver delivered a flawless 1m15.372s lap in the dying moments of Q3 to claim the top spot – his disbelief clear in a surprised team radio message after the session.
Oscar Piastri will start alongside Leclerc on the front row, while Lando Norris could only manage fourth, unable to replicate his earlier pace from Q1 and Q2. The shift in wind direction appeared to affect both McLarens in Q3, with Piastri explaining post-session that the conditions had suddenly turned against them.
George Russell will line up fourth on the grid, making the most of cooling track conditions that suited the Mercedes. Fernando Alonso put in a vintage performance to take fifth for Aston Martin, narrowly missing out on the front row by just 0.109s.
Lance Stroll backed up Alonso’s pace with a strong sixth place, marking a successful session for Aston Martin. Impressive rookie Gabriel Bortoleto continued his upward trajectory with seventh, securing his third Q3 appearance in four races.
Red Bull and Hamilton's Struggles Continue
Max Verstappen could do no better than eighth, continuing a difficult weekend for Red Bull. The Dutchman was unable to improve significantly in Q3, though he did edge out Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, who rounded out the top ten.
Yuki Tsunoda was narrowly knocked out in Q1 by Lawson despite being less than 0.2s off Verstappen’s time, further highlighting Red Bull’s puzzling lack of pace.
Lewis Hamilton was the highest-profile casualty of Q2, initially climbing to the top 10 before being bumped to 13th as the final laps came in.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli struggled with rear-end grip and qualified 11th, just ahead of Ferrari reserve Oliver Bearman. Carlos Sainz ended up 14th, narrowly ahead of Franco Colapinto.
In the Q1 drop zone, Tsunoda was joined by Pierre Gasly—who was once again outqualified by Colapinto—as well as Esteban Ocon, who suffered a bizarre issue with a screw embedded in his front-right tyre.
Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon will bring up the rear, with Albon visibly wrestling with an unstable Williams n Q1.
With Leclerc on pole and the frontrunners shuffled by changing conditions, Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix promises an unpredictable race – especially with McLaren, Mercedes, and Aston Martin all in striking distance.
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