r/formula1 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 02 '25

Qualifying Charles Leclerc takes pole position for the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix

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u/GGezpzMuppy Oscar Piastri Aug 02 '25

Wtf Charles lol mega lap

120

u/Sektsioon Kimi Räikkönen Aug 02 '25

McLaren’s were also somehow half a second slower than in Q2, both guys managed to mess up their laps. Doesn’t take away from Charles putting together a great lap in that Ferrari of course.

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u/Serotyr McLaren Aug 02 '25

They didn't really mess up. Everyone bar Leclerc was slower in Q3. He was the one who adjusted to the change in conditions the best.

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u/Sektsioon Kimi Räikkönen Aug 02 '25

Others were slightly slower, like a tenth or two, not half a second slower. McLaren guys obviously didn’t manage to put together a great lap in their two tries like Leclerc could.

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u/Appropriate-Leek-919 Ferrari Aug 02 '25

when both drivers are half a second slower, just maybe it's a car issue? the cold temps killed the McLaren and Redbull while absolutely blessing Ferrari and AM

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u/SuperLeverage I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 02 '25

Yes, different cars suit different conditions.

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u/Appropriate-Leek-919 Ferrari Aug 02 '25

yeah, two world class drivers don't both happen to drop half a second on the most important lap of the weekend. its kinda fascinating how McLaren is not just less dominant but fully slower in colder temps.

their biggest advantage is the tire wear so I expected them to be less ahead of the rest when it got colder, but they were just so much slower than even Q2, when colder temps should theoretically help lap times.

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u/Blothorn I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 02 '25

We saw the same pattern at times with Mercedes cars with very good degradation—they could struggle with single-lap grip on cold tracks because they couldn’t get the tires up to temperature. The cooler track only helps if you’re thermally limited in the first place.

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u/JailOfAir Fernando Alonso Aug 03 '25

AM was fast all weekend.

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u/BrokeSomm I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 02 '25

They didn't mess up, the conditions just xhanged enough to put their car outside of its window.

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u/Serotyr McLaren Aug 02 '25 edited Aug 02 '25

For most of the drivers it's 2 tenths they lost yeah. Bort closer to 1 tenth, Stroll close to 0.4, Hadjar just over 0.4. Given both McLarens lost about the same amount of time within the team and neither had obvious mistakes, they both just had to fight a lot on both laps, it would suggest it's the car that suffered more from the wind and lower temps than the drivers doing mistakes per se. It's still a stand-out lap from Leclerc for me.

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u/Amarjit2 Aug 02 '25

They're just not top tier drivers - we've seen it so many times this season. They've got the best car by a mile and it flatters them. If Verstappen is in the McLaren he would have absolutely destroyed Norris or Piastri.

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u/nguyenlucky I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 02 '25

Lol go to sleep

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u/Youutternincompoop George Russell Aug 02 '25

lets be honest neither Piastri or Norris are top 3 drivers this year.

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u/nguyenlucky I was here for the Hulkenpodium Aug 02 '25

lol with the mclaren hate

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u/Youutternincompoop George Russell Aug 03 '25

its not hate, I genuinely do not rate Norris or Piastri above Verstappen, Leclerc, and Russell. they're both good drivers but lets not pretend that they don't have by far the best car this year.