Hungarian GP qualifying: Leclerc takes surprise pole to upset McLarens - ESPN

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Charles Leclerc took a shock pole position for Ferrari at the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead McLaren's championship rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in second and third.

Leclerc hooked up a 1:15.372 to beat championship leader Piastri to the fastest third and final qualifying session time by 0.026 seconds, with Norris a further 0.015 seconds adrift in third.

Norris set the fastest time of all in Q2 — a 1:14.980 — but could not replicate it in Q3 when the sky clouded over, the wind picked up and the track temperature dropped.

Leclerc's pole position marks Ferrari's first of the year for a grand prix — Lewis Hamilton secured sprint race pole in China — after the team introduced upgraded suspension to its car at the Belgian Grand Prix one week ago.

«Today I don't understand anything in Formula 1,» Leclerc said afterward. «Honestly, the whole qualifying has been extremely difficult. When I say extremely difficult, it's not exaggerating. It was difficult for us to get to Q2, it was difficult for us to get to Q3.

»I knew I just had to do a clean lap to target third, and at the end of the day it's pole position. I definitely did not expect that.

«Honestly, I have no words. It's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had. It's the most unexpected, for sure,» he added.

The McLaren teammates, who are increasingly in a battle of their own for the championship, looked comfortably fastest throughout practice and remain the favorites to take the fight to Leclerc and challenge for victory in Sunday's race.

The two drivers blamed the wind changes from Q2 to Q3, with Piastri saying: «I think the wind changed a lot. It always sounds so pathetic blaming things on the wind. It did a 180 from Q2 to Q3 and