Hungarian Grand Prix Virtual Grid Walk: A Three-Sided Coin Toss
F1 NewsSunday, 03 August 2025 at 06:22
As the headline suggests, this looks set to be a three-way battle for the top step of the podium this afternoon at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Round 14 of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship, at Hungaroring, near Budapest.
That’s after Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc ambushed the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in qualifying for today’s race at the Hungaroring.
McLaren team boss Zak Brown said earlier that every weekend from now until the end of the season will be a coin toss to guess which of his drivers beats the other. Before qualifying at Hungaroring yesterday, it seemed a foregone conclusion that the Woking Boys would lock out the front row, so strong was their pace.
But circumstances, weather, and an ever-changing track allowed Leclerc to deliver one of those laps he is famed for. When he calls it one of the best laps of his career, believe it. The Prancing Horse is among the Papayas, and that three-sided coin toss..
Will Leclerc slip up and turn it into a toss-up between Piastri and Norris? Hard to tell. Ferrari’s race pace looks good, and by all accounts, luck, karma and fate seem keen on giving Fred Vasseur a poetic welcome gift for his contract extension. A victory today would be just that.
Leclerc did not follow the script
Piastri looked destined for pole before it was stolen from him. Norris was second fastest but drops to P3 due to a penalty, meaning Oscar moves up to the front row. Norris will share row two with George Russell, who pulled a stonking lap out of nowhere. Mercedes clearly hit the sweet spot at just the right moment.
The top four are most likely to be on the podium, but in what order remains to be seen. It is hard to imagine McLaren losing this one: two against one versus Leclerc, and two against one versus Russell. But with the world title at stake, Piastri needs to finish ahead of Norris, and Norris ahead of Piastri. End of story.
Behind them, the all-green Aston Martin squad have Alonso again outqualifying Stroll. That said, the Canadian delivered arguably his best display in a very long time, as the AMR25 showed unexpected pace around the Hungaroring.
Team boss Mike Krack was quick to credit the AMR factory, though perhaps prematurely. They are among the teams clueless about what their package is doing until the next track. If Alonso and Stroll string together three or four Saturdays like this, then credit is due.
For now, it seems like an anomaly. Still, never discount Alonso. As for Stroll, let’s see what he can do. This is a good opportunity for him to redeem himself and silence some critics, including this one.
Midfield movers include Verstappen
From P7, Gabriele Bortoleto once again shone brightly in Quali, spanking his more experienced teammate Nico Hülkenberg in the Stake Sauber. The Brazilian rookie is showing impressive pace, great composure and slick execution. Whether he can stay there is a big question, because behind him is a pack of very upwardly mobile wannabes.
On the fourth row with Bortoleto is Max Verstappen, lining up P8. But do not expect Max to stay there long unless the Red Bull is truly as bad in race conditions as it has been all weekend. In dry or tricky weather, you have to fancy the four-time F1 World Champ to finish much higher than he qualified. He will be a fun watch this afternoon!
Looming with intent, behind him is his former team (remember Toro Rosso), now Racing Bulls, with Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar shining on an overcast day in Hungary. They should be in the fight for points.
Also doing a sterling job, outshining his much more experienced teammate Esteban Ocon, was Ollie Bearman, who put the Haas in P11, ahead of similarly Ferrari-powered Lewis Hamilton. The two Brits share the sixth row.
Hamilton's Mea Culpa Saturday
Hamilton was not a happy man on Saturday, taking full blame for a dire qualifying that saw him exit in Q2. His radio comments told the story, as we have already reported.
Next up is Carlos Sainz in P13, for a change, better than Alex Albon, who will start from the back of the grid. Williams are in no man’s land at the moment. Their cars seem extremely fragile, and poor execution in practice has cost them dearly. They are not in a good place.
Also rising to the occasion, for a change, was rookie Franco Colapinto, outqualifying veteran teammate Pierre Gasly. The Argentine will start P14, with his Alpine teammate in P17. Expect that order to change by the end of the race. But until then his Saturday was swell: Welcome to F1, Franco!
Also exposed, this time by a far more experienced driver, was Kimi Antonelli. The young Italian is enduring a baptism of fire at Mercedes. Matching Russell is proving near impossible. At times, you wonder if Antonelli is simply too young to be in such a big team. There is nowhere to hide, and he knows he is not where he wants to be.
But Mercedes have thrown him into the deep end. Now they must help him swim, at least for two or three seasons, otherwise this will be a wasted campaign.
Verstappen got his shot at Toro Rosso to learn his craft, and boy, he had some big moments but out of the limelight that shines on big teams non-stop. Ditto Russell had time at Williams, Leclerc at Sauber, etc.
Not Antonelli. He was thrust into the brightest of spotlights by Toto Wolff, and now that he is in the pool, he needs to do laps before we can say if he is truly F1 material. I believe he will be. But Mercedes owe him lots of time. Today, the Italian teenager can make amends, of course.
Back of the grid packed with drivers exposed by their teammates
In contrast, I think Yuki Tsunoda has proven he is no match for Verstappen. Occasionally, he comes close, and there is a lot of hype when he does, but when the dice fall, he is simply too far off. Eventually, someone else will have to take that Red Bull seat. Lawson and Hadjar, starting higher today, might hesitate to jump into a car that only Max can drive.
As for the aforementioned Ocon, his journeyman career continues chugging along. No surprise to see him in P18. Same for fellow backmarker traveller Nico Hülkenberg, capable of wonders in races, but always giving himself too much work to do after another poor qualifying. P19 this time. Imagine if he were up in P7 where his rookie teammate starts the GP from today...
Albon in P20 deserves a pass. He has been almost faultless this season in that awkward Williams. Nevertheless, it is still another reality check for him and Williams. Sainz and Albon are two good drivers in a bad car.
That Williams FW46 is a sh!tbox. And the team are doing them no favours with technical issues denting both drivers' track time, Sainz perhaps more so. Very fragile and troublesome cars, James Vowles' team has built.
Looking up the grid to the sharp end, it is hard to see McLaren losing this one, even with Leclerc starting P1. But then again, no one saw the Ferrari pole lap coming out of the blue as it did yesterday. Capable of starring roles, what does George Russell have in store? And you can never discount Fernando Alonso.
As mentioned above, be sure Verstappen launching from P8 will be box office stuff. And, of course, I will be watching how Hamilton goes from P12. Will we get another Spa-like race day spectacular? We will have to wait and see. Enjoy!
Hungarian Grand Prix Reuters Facts & Stats:
- At Budapest’s Hungaroring, Round 14 of the 24 race 2025 F1 world championship.
- Lap distance: 4.381km. Total distance: 306.630km (70 laps)
- 2024 pole position: Lando Norris (Britain) McLaren One minute 15.227 seconds
- 2024 race winner: Oscar Piastri (Australia) McLaren
- Race lap record: Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:16.627 (2020)
- Start time: 1300 GMT (1500 local time)
- This weekend will be the 40th Hungarian Grand Prix, 16 of them won from pole. The race debuted in 1986 as the first behind the former ‘Iron Curtain’ and is usually run in high temperatures.
- Lewis Hamilton has won a record eight times in Hungary (2007, 2009 and 2012 with McLaren and 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 with Mercedes) and been on pole a record nine times with 12 podium finishes.
- McLaren have the best record with 12 wins.
- Fernando Alonso (2003), Esteban Ocon (2021), Max Verstappen (2022, 2023) and Piastri (2024) are other past winners.
- The lowest winning start in Hungary was Jenson Button from 14th on the grid in 2006. Verstappen won from 10th in 2022 and Hamilton was third in 2014 after starting from the pit lane.
- Verstappen took his first F1 pole in Hungary in 2019. Alonso, Ocon and Piastri’s wins were their first in Formula One.
- The circuit is sometimes referred to as ‘Monaco without the walls’ because it is short and twisty with overtaking difficult. There are 14 corners.
- Mercedes-powered cars have been on pole for the last five editions of the race.
- The grid area and pit lane have been resurfaced.
2025 F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
- Piastri leads teammate Norris by 16 points. Verstappen is third and 81 points off the lead.
- In the constructors’ standings, McLaren (516 points) are now 268 points clear of second-placed Ferrari (248), with Mercedes third (220) and Red Bull fourth (192).
- Hamilton has not won in more than a year, the most recent and 105th of his career came in Belgium on July 28, 2024. Hungary will be the seven-times world champion’s 370th start.
- Piastri has won six of 13 races this season, Norris four, Verstappen two and Russell one.
- Verstappen has won 65 grands prix and is third on the all-time list after Michael Schumacher on 91.
- Norris and Piastri both have eight career wins.
- McLaren have had six one-two finishes this season, including the last three races. They have not had so many one-twos since 1988 when Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna managed 10.
- Piastri, Norris and Verstappen have each been on pole four times this season, Russell once.
- The McLaren drivers have each finished on the podium 11 times in 2025.
- Charles Leclerc’s second place in Monaco remains Ferrari’s best of the season so far. The Monegasque now has five podiums for the season. Hamilton has yet to stand on the podium for Ferrari.
2025 F1 World Championship Points
- Piastri is the only driver to have scored in every race this season. The Australian has scored for 39 race weekends in a row, if sprints are included — and in 31 successive grands prix.
- Only one driver on the grid has yet to score — Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto.
- Verstappen will be starting his 200th race for Red Bull.
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