Leclerc beats McLarens in Hungarian GP qualifying

Monaco's Charles Leclerc will start Sunday in the lead at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the 14th of 24 rounds this season, giving Ferrari its first GP pole position of the year right under the noses of McLaren.

The Ferrari driver edged out championship leader Oscar Piastri (McLaren) by just 0.029 seconds in Saturday's qualifying session. Behind him, the other McLaren, Lando Norris's, will start from the second row alongside George Russell, who is fourth in his Mercedes.

"I'm speechless," reacted Leclerc a few moments after having signed "one of the best pole positions" of his career "because it was so unexpected!"

And for good reason: since the start of the weekend, the McLarens have been the favorites at the Hungaroring near Budapest. The public was therefore logically expecting to see the two papaya single-seaters battle it out for pole, keeping the rest of the competition at a safe distance.

"The wind has changed a lot, it seems pathetic to blame the wind, but it has changed, so it's difficult to judge in these conditions," Piastri explained.

These qualifying sessions were particularly important because the Hungaroring track is narrow, making overtaking more difficult. The quality of the starts will be crucial when the race kicks off on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The third row of this last meeting before the holidays will be 100% green, with the two Aston Martins, those of the 44-year-old Spanish veteran Fernando Alonso and the Canadian Lance Stroll, in the running this weekend.

Four-time defending champion Max Verstappen, who confirmed Thursday that he was staying with Red Bull after weeks of rumors pointing to him joining Mercedes, will start his 200th Grand Prix with the Austrian team in eighth place. In Hungary, the Dutchman posted his worst qualifying performance of the season.

The same disappointment was felt by Lewis Hamilton, who has won eight times at the Hungaroring and has nine pole positions there, but who will only start 12th, behind the young British driver Oliver Bearman, who finished 11th in his first F1 weekend in Hungary.

Another driver who is still getting to grips with the Hungarian circuit in the elite, Frenchman Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) qualified 10th, far ahead of his experienced compatriots Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Esteban Ocon (Haas), 17th and 18th respectively.

On the Swiss Sauber team side, Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto took 7th place and his German teammate Nico Hülkenberg 19th.

Piastri leads the overall standings by just 16 points over Norris. Since the beginning of the year, the two McLaren drivers have been locked in a fierce battle at the wheel of a car that is superior to all its rivals.