Budapest – In a stunning twist at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session, Charles Leclerc secured his first pole position of the season in 1:15.372, narrowly edging out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by just 0.026 seconds, with teammate Lando Norris in third—only 0.041 seconds behind.

McLaren had led both practice and early qualifying sessions, but faltered in Q3 due to rapidly cooling conditions and a sudden wind shift—conditions that Leclerc mastered to perfection.

Aston Martin showed significant pace improvement, locking out the third row with Fernando Alonso in fifth and Lance Stroll in sixth.

McLaren’s dominance was overshadowed by Ferrari’s shock resurgence. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton suffered a dramatic collapse, eliminated in Q2 and calling himself “absolutely useless,” raising questions over his future role within the team.

The final top-10 grid also included strong performances from Gabriel Bortoleto (7th), Max Verstappen (8th), and Racing Bulls’ hopefuls Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, who rounded out the top 10.

With overtaking notoriously difficult at the Hungaroring, Leclerc’s pole gives Ferrari a rare advantage going into tomorrow’s race.