Leclerc rides late winds to pole as McLaren grip slips in Budapest

Bernadette Soriano

At the Hungaroring in Budapest on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at 2:00 PM BST (9:00 PM Philippine time), Charles Leclerc converted a gust-induced shift into Ferrari’s first pole of the season clocking a blistering 1:15.372 in Q3 to edge McLaren’s Piastri and Norris by 0.026s and 0.041s, respectively.

Despite topping all three sessions leading into qualifying, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were unable to recalibrate in time for the final Q3 shootout.

Leclerc, exploiting the evolving grip and late-session wind reversal, executed a near-flawless lap when it mattered most.

“The wind basically did a 180 from Q1 to Q3,” Piastri explained, attributing the car’s altered handling to the abrupt meteorological disruption.

His first Q3 attempt felt disjointed, and although he anticipated an improvement on his second run, the time betrayed his expectations.

“It always sounds so pathetic, blaming things on the wind,” he admitted, “so it just meant a lot of the corners felt completely different.”

Settling for second on the grid, Piastri acknowledged the setback but saw it as a strategic position for Sunday’s race.

Norris, who trails Piastri by 16 points in the standings, echoed a similar struggle to adapt mid-session.

“I think Charles did a good job on the last lap and he probably risked a bit more in these conditions,” Norris remarked, referencing the Ferrari driver’s bravery amid unpredictable gusts.

The McLarens, previously untouchable in Q2, appeared disproportionately penalized by the circuit’s sudden loss of aerodynamic consistency.

“I mean not too many complaints. It seems we both thought we did some good laps at the end and we were just slow, nothing to complain of. It’s a long lap with many corners and so it’s tricky,” the British driver noted.

Despite the shortfall, Norris remained optimistic about reclaiming lost ground in the Grand Prix.

“I want to go forwards and I want to win,” he asserted.

Leclerc’s pole lap not only marked his maiden P1 in Hungary but also ended Ferrari’s qualifying drought this season.

The grid was fiercely competitive, with just over half a second separating the top ten qualifiers.

Leclerc, Piastri, and Norris will line up ahead of George Russell, Fernando Alonso, and Lance Stroll, with Max Verstappen down in eighth behind Gabriel Bortoleto setting the stage for a tightly fought race.

The 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix fires off at 3:00 PM local time this Sunday, August 3, translating to a 9:00 PM lights-out for Philippine viewers.