'The Wind' Blows In Ferrari's Favour: McLaren's 'Pathetic' Excuse After Leclerc Pole At Hungarian GP
After dominating every practice session throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, McLaren were left stunned during Saturday's qualifying as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc surged to a surprise pole position under rapidly changing weather conditions.
Having set the pace in all three practice sessions, McLaren entered qualifying as clear favourites. But when it mattered most, series leader Oscar Piastri and his teammate — and closest title rival — Lando Norris found themselves outpaced by Leclerc's perfectly timed final lap.
Piastri, who leads the championship standings after 13 of the 24 scheduled races, was left to reflect on what might have been after qualifying second on the grid.
'I think the wind changed a lot," said the Australian.
'It always sounds so pathetic, blaming things on the wind, but the wind basically did a 180 from Q1 to Q3, so it just meant a lot of the corners felt completely different."
Piastri admitted that the shift in conditions caught him off guard.
'My first lap in Q3 felt pretty terrible because I wasn't used to it, and then I thought the second lap was better – but it was even slower," he said.
'It's so difficult to judge in those conditions – and maybe not the best execution. I was a bit surprised that we couldn't go quicker than that. Second is still a decent spot to start. We'll see what we can do tomorrow."
Norris, who qualified third and sits just 16 points behind Piastri in the championship, echoed similar frustrations, suggesting the team may have been too conservative as the wind disrupted their usual rhythm.
'I think Charles did a good job on the last lap and he probably risked a bit more in these conditions," said Norris.
'The wind changed a lot and it really seemed to punish us in a bigger way."
Leclerc Takes First Pole of 2025
Leclerc's pole lap not only secured his first-ever top spot in Hungary but also marked Ferrari's first pole of the 2025 season and the 27th of his career. It was a dramatic turnaround for the Italian team, who have struggled to consistently challenge McLaren and Red Bull this year.
His late flyer in Q3 edged out Piastri by just 0.021 seconds, with Norris another 0.032 seconds behind — underlining just how tight the session was.
Historic Qualifying Tightness
In fact, just 0.543 seconds separated pole-sitter Leclerc from 10th-placed rookie Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls, making it one of the closest qualifying sessions in Formula One history.
The top ten for Sunday's grid will line up as follows:
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