Ferrari Surprises McLaren in Budapest Qualifying

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc pulled off a surprise by taking pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver set a lap time of 1:15.372 in Q3, edging out Oscar Piastri by just 0.026 seconds and Lando Norris by 0.041 seconds.

Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin secured a strong fifth place. Meanwhile, reigning world champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) only managed eighth, and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) failed to reach Q3.

Cooler temperatures and gusty winds affected the McLaren cars, who had dominated the weekend up to that point. Despite a 16-point gap favoring the Australian in the standings, both McLaren drivers were overtaken by Leclerc's strong performance.

Tough Day for Verstappen and Hamilton

George Russell finished fourth in Q3, just 0.053 seconds off the lead. Aston Martin placed both cars in the top six, with Alonso fifth and Lance Stroll sixth, positioning them well for Sunday’s race.

Clouds gathered over the Budapest circuit as Piastri led Q1 with a 1:15.211, followed closely by Alonso and Isack Hadjar. Light rain during Q2 did not prompt tire changes, but Norris posted the fastest lap with a 1:14.890, narrowly ahead of Piastri and Stroll.

In Q3, worsening weather led to slower lap times. Piastri’s initial 1:15.398 looked strong, but Leclerc responded with a 1:15.372, good enough for pole in the challenging conditions.

Alonso had two fresh tire sets for Q3 and managed fifth despite back issues. On the other hand, Verstappen barely reached Q3 and settled for eighth, while Hamilton dropped out in Q2 after a disappointing session.

Carlos Sainz, placed eighth in Q1 but couldn’t advance past Q2, finishing 13th with a 1:15.781. Franco Colapinto progressed to Q2 in his Alpine, outperforming Yuki Tsunoda by 0.024 seconds, but ultimately placed 14th.