It was all about McLaren in Hungary. Just as we got used to their Lando Norris being the new kid on the block able to compete with Verstappen and Leclerc, Norris’ team-mate Piastri has also just showed he too is also a world championship contender. It’s all coming together for McLaren who have the car and 2 great drivers who claimed the first two spots on the podium in this latest Grand Prix. And a resurgent Hamilton who will be driving alongside Leclerc in 2025 pipped Charles for the last place on the podium. The Monegasque managed however to win valuable points with his fourth place finish.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, out of sorts with his car and his team throughout, came in fifth. He is under investigation for causing a collision, having hit Hamilton in a controversial overtake attempt late in the race.
Charles Leclerc at the Hungaroring Track
Hungary’s second practice session came to an abrupt stop when Charles Leclerc crashed his Ferrari into the barriers, though he luckily walked away unscathed. The incident occurred roughly 15 minutes in, as Leclerc misjudged the kerb exiting Turn 4 at the Hungaroring, leading to a spin and collision with the wall just before Turn 5.
This mishap was far from ideal for Ferrari, especially as they aimed to evaluate their upgraded floor in Hungary, hoping to close the gap with Red Bull, Mercedes, and McLaren.
Leclerc admitted the car felt strong before his crash in FP2. Reflecting on the incident, he accepted responsibility, detailing the sequence of events.
“When I lost control, I expected much more damage,” the 26-year-old remarked. “The actual damage isn’t severe, but it’s enough to end our session early, which is never desirable.”
“What happened was I went a bit wide on the kerb, got a snap in the middle of Turn 4, drifted onto the kerb, and then lost the car. It was my mistake, but now the focus is on recovering tomorrow.”
Enough of a recovery for Charles Leclerc to slot into Qualifying P6 for Ferrari. Norris clinched pole ahead of Piastri and Verstappen during a pretty dramatic qualifying in Hungary as Perez crashed out.
In the race proper, a difficult track to pass on, Leclerc did his utmost. The Scuderia Ferrari driver gained two positions at the start of the Hungaroring circuit in Budapest.
And P4 was the best he could do. Ace driving cannot do it alone. Ferrari have to close on Red Bull and McLaren with their engineering. Ferrari had introduced a revised floor in Budapest in a bid to tackle the bouncing at high speed that has been prevalent since its recent upgrade package in Barcelona. But it’s not enough.
“But obviously for now we are still quite a long way behind McLaren and Red Bull.
So, there’s a lot of work we need to do still. But we are aware of it and I know the team is giving it all. But yeah, it improves some characteristics.”
“But I think the best thing we could do this weekend is to instead of keep experimenting and not maximising our weekend, it was very important for us to maximise this weekend. Which honestly I think we did. The biggest problem now is that we don’t have the performance to do much better. So, that’s where we’ll focus on in the development for the future.”
Drama at McLaren
In a nail-biting climax, Oscar Piastri clinched his first Formula One grand prix victory, following a dramatic standoff with his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Norris, despite his reluctance, eventually adhered to team orders, letting Piastri pass with just three laps to go, securing the Australian’s historic win.
Piastri seized the lead from second on the grid, overtaking Norris at turn one on the opening lap. For most of the race, he appeared to have his maiden win firmly in sight.
However, a single mistake almost derailed his chances. Leading by three seconds, Piastri went slightly off track at turn 11 on lap 33, allowing Norris to close the gap to within a second. McLaren’s strategy then saw Norris pitted first to counter Hamilton’s final stops, giving Norris the lead. Nevertheless, it was agreed he would relinquish the position back to Piastri, ensuring the rookie’s momentous victory. However Norris, with a chance of being World Champion, where he now trails Verstappen by 76 points, was clearly reluctant to give up a win.
Norris was visibly frustrated as he argued to keep his position, noting Piastri’s increasing distance behind him. With five laps remaining, McLaren sounded almost desperate according to press reports imploring Norris, “You can’t win the championship alone; you need Oscar and the team. Please, do it now.”
Reluctantly, on lap 68, Norris moved aside on the main straight, allowing his teammate to pass. This move likely elicited huge sighs of relief from the McLaren pit wall as the two drivers crossed the finish line one after the other.
Charles Leclerc Looks to Belgium Next
Leclerc in post race interviews, including with Formula 1, expressed being pretty happy with Ferrari’s performance in this Hungarian Grand Prix having netted championship points from his fourth place result. Lacking enough pace and given the difficulty posed by the track in Hungary with respect to overtaking a podium position eluded him. And he’s not sure that the upgrades that Ferrari have brought to the car are enough to get Ferrari into a regular podium challenger never mind help Leclerc press for the World Championship for which he is currently lying third. We have to wait for the next race which is in Belgium and a different track to see if all Ferrari’s work on the car is helping them catch up with Red Bull.
Take a look at the World Championship table. With a 76 point lead it is still Red Bull’s Verstappen’s to lose.
But McLaren are charging with Norris lying second on the table with 189 points now capable of taking podium places in each race including the top of the podium. It was Norris’ for the taking in Hungary but he let his team-mate Piastri stand on the top pedastal. Charles has his work cut out. With 162 points he has team-mate Sainz and also McLaren’s Piastri breathing down his neck only 8 and 13 points respectively from drawing level with him.
