Ferrari's Leclerc on pole for Hungarian GP
The Monegasque driver will share the front row on Sunday with McLaren's Oscar Piastri. McLaren's Lando Norris will start from the second row alongside fellow Briton George Russell who was fourth for Mercedes.
"I honestly have no words, it's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had because it's the most unexpected for sure," said Leclerc.
The 27-year-old went late in the final minutes of a closely-contested session to clock a best lap in one minute and 15.372 seconds in changing conditions, leaving his rivals frustrated as they failed to improve on their first run times.
He took pole by 0.026 seconds ahead of series leader Piastri and by 0.041sec ahead of the Australian's team-mate and title rival Norris, with Russell 0.053sec adrift in a breathtakingly close finish.
It was Leclerc's first pole of the year, his first in Budapest and the 27th of his career. It was Ferrari's first pole in Hungary since Sebastian Vettel in 2017.
"The whole qualifying has been extremely difficult and when I say that I'm not exaggerating," said Leclerc of the windy conditions at the Hungaroring.
"It was super difficult for us to get to Q2 and Q3, in Q3 the conditions changed a little bit and everything became a lot trickier and I knew I had to just do a clean lap to target third.
"At the end of the day it's pole position and I definitely did not expect that."
hdy/ea/nf
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
BMW Just Declared War on Tesla -- And It Starts With This One SUV
BMW's long game to retake the EV crown just got real. The German automaker is rolling out its all-new iX3 SUV the first in its Neue Klasse lineup with plans to flood the market with 40 models built on a brand-new electric-first platform. It's the biggest product revamp in the company's 109-year history. What's on offer? Up to 800km of range, 400kW max charging, and in-house supercomputers that could power everything from climate control to autonomous driving all baked into a sleek SUV aimed straight at Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA). Production kicks off in Hungary this year, with BMW's Munich plant set to go all-electric by 2027. CEO Oliver Zipse is betting this new class will redefine premium EV performance and investors are paying attention. Switch Auto Insurance and Save Today! The Insurance Savings You Expect Affordable Auto Insurance, Customized for You Great Rates and Award-Winning Service Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Sign with CYATY. But this isn't just a tech flex. BMW is launching Neue Klasse into a brutally competitive China market, where its EV sales are sliding and local giants like BYD (BYDDF) and Xiaomi are undercutting prices with feature-rich models. To stay in the game, BMW is integrating local platforms like WeChat, debuting AI copilots via a DeepSeek partnership, and pushing innovation to the front of the product line. Zipse isn't sugarcoating the challenge. Some segments, he says, may not be profitable and BMW could walk. But with a flexible architecture built for combustion, hybrid, and electric, the company isn't going all-in on EVs just yet. Instead, it's threading the needle: cutting costs, scaling tech, and preserving margin where it counts. There's another twist. As President Trump rolls back emissions regulations and zero-emission mandates, Tesla's long-standing edge in regulatory credits could take a hit. Zipse didn't call Musk out by name but he made the contrast clear. BMW, he said, wants customers to enjoy their cars without having to justify their choice. And that choice now includes an EV that's being praised by early reviewers as smoother than a Rolls. It's too early to call the Neue Klasse rollout a comeback but if BMW's iX3 delivers on both product and margin, it could force a serious rethink in the EV pecking order. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
OGC Nice: Evann Guessand ruled out for Champions League
Evann Guessand Bad news for Ivorian international Evann Guessand. The player has been ruled out for the upcoming Champions League qualifying round with OGC Nice. After suffering discomfort in his knee since the friendly match against Sheffield United (3-2) last Wednesday, Evann Guessand has been declared unavailable for the first leg of the third Champions League qualifying round. The match will be against Benfica on Wednesday. However, it's hard not to suspect a feigned injury given the tense situation between the striker and the club management, frustrated by his refusal to join Neom. However, sporting director Florian Maurice clarified the situation: "As for seeing him play in the upcoming matches, right now, it's not possible because he feels pain in his knee, so he can't play. But as of today, he is still an OGC Nice player," stated the club executive.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'I back myself against any player' - USMNT star Auston Trusty embraces Champions League challenge with Celtic FC
Defender thriving under pressure of elite European competition Former Arsenal player believes in his ability to compete at highest level Celtic center back appreciates path from MLS to Champions League WHAT HAPPENED U.S. international Auston Trusty says he's loved every second of Champions League football since joining Celtic from Sheffield United in August 2024. The 26-year-old American defender believes his time in the Premier League and Championship prepared him well for facing top-tier opposition. 'I love every second. I mean I back myself against any player really," Trusty said on the Vamos podcast with Herculez Gomez. "Come out here playing the Premier League, now playing in the Champions League, you have to have your ability, you have to have the ability to back yourself mentally as well. Any chance I get to play with these guys and to play against these historic teams, I always go back to me as a little kid growing up, and just like this was not even reality, really! 'Like this was this wasn't even like possible for me to be here, living my dream day in day out be where I am at, where I'm at mentally and also physically, and it goes like wise as a player. I'm just, I'm living my life. I'm living my dream, man.' Trusty shared that the confidence in his abilities has been there since he was a little kid, just starting to play football, and while he's been through ups and downs, he continues to back himself. 'I don't think it starts there,' Trusty explained. 'I think it started since I was a little kid, all the are plenty of ups and downs. And I think through those moments through those times, I've slowly layered by layer of the layer, backing myself and showing myself my ability.' WHAT AUSTON TRUSTY SAID Trusty wasn't included on the U.S. men's national team roster for the 2025 Gold Cup, but the Celtic center-back has remained supportive of the program and believes the tournament was a valuable learning experience for the group. Trusty further touched upon the USMNT's Gold Cup summer and believes that while the team initially had a tough run, he thinks that they've learnt a lot and that the blocks are in place. 'Obviously, I would love to go and represent the country,' Trusty said. 'That's my entire dream. Any call up I can get, I'll be eager to take full advantage...I back coach back the team and obviously, you had some bad results. No one wants these results, but I think the team is just learning. He added, 'Some of those guys were key guys who have been on the team in the past, and they brought in some new people. So we're just finding our way, but I think we do have time. I think on the outside, it seems like, 'oh, what's going on?' But I think Poch really has a good idea what's going to happen, and he's still like building the blocks, but I think we're in a good spot.' The center back also praised Pochettino for the tactical knowledge he's brought to the setup, reflecting on his own experience in early camps under the Argentine. 'He called me in the first couple of camps, it was great, they were great. And I haven't had too much conversations [or been] in touch since then, but it's all good standing...I think the coaches have been really good and obviously they're highly qualified and experienced too," he said. 'Poch is an extremely experienced coach, so you know he knows what he's talking about, so to be in those environments, to put yourself in that environment to maybe adapt to doing certain things or do things, maybe, maybe you're not used to doing, it only benefits yourself. So I've only looked at that in a really positive way." THE BIGGER PICTURE Trusty signed for Celtic in the summer of 2024 and has since made 38 appearances for The Bhoys, scoring one goal and winning the Scottish Championship as well as the Scottish League Cup in his debut season. Not only that, he has earned four caps for the USMNT, making his debut in March 2023, with his last cap coming in November 2024. WHAT'S NEXT? Celtic's Champions League campaign provides Trusty with continued opportunities to establish himself at the elite level of European competition. The defender is currently a part of the club's preseason activities as he prepares himself for the 2025-26 season.
