P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Charles Leclerc landed a surprise pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix – explaining a major fear he had beforehand.
Charles Leclerc expressed his initial fear of not making the top five in the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifiers before securing an impressive pole position. Despite McLaren’s dominance in practice, Leclerc managed to beat Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris by a mere 0.026s. This victory marked Ferrari’s first pole of the season and elevated Leclerc to 11th on the all-time poles list with his 27th P1 start, surpassing Mika Hakkinen.
Leclerc faced the risk of elimination, mirroring his teammate Lewis Hamilton’s fate, during the qualifying rounds. He credits his unexpected success to a sudden change in weather conditions that disadvantaged McLaren and allowed him to claim pole position. Reflecting on his performance, Leclerc admitted to struggling throughout the session but highlighted the importance of his clean Q3 lap in challenging conditions.
The Ferrari driver confessed that qualifying felt difficult and disjointed initially, but he managed to pull off a remarkable lap when it mattered most. Leclerc described this pole position as one of his most surprising, given the uncertainties he faced after FP3, Q1, and Q2. Despite his doubts, Leclerc’s tenacity and adaptability ultimately secured a memorable pole position in Hungary.
