The pole position of Charles Leclerc increases the entertainment value of the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon more than expected. In this preview: the impact on the rivalry between McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, why Max Verstappen might have trouble with Aston Martin, and an overview of possible strategies and race speed!
Leclerc Must Seize the Opportunity with Ferrari
Charles Leclerc’s pole with Ferrari is the first this season. You can bet that the Italians are doing everything they can to convert this excellent starting position into a win. Leclerc knows that Piastri and Norris in their McLaren are virtually untouchable in terms of race speed. But the Hungaroring, where overtaking is difficult, is one of the few circuits where you might be able to keep a faster car behind you. The pole position is an advantage on the circuit near Budapest, unlike, for example, Spa, where the pursuers have a good chance – as we saw last week – to overtake the pole sitter immediately.
The only disadvantage for Leclerc is that Piastri and Norris behind him will of course have DRS available, so it becomes a matter of finding ways for the Monegasque to thwart attack attempts on the straight. The advantage: perhaps the McLaren rivals are so preoccupied with themselves and each other that Leclerc is the laughing third, or in this case first.
Extra Dimension in McLaren Rivalry
Who wouldn’t want to go into the summer as the leader in the World Championship? You can bet that Piastri would like to extend his lead over Norris a bit. That’s possible, as the Australian starts ahead of his British teammate and title rival. But the latter will in turn want to reduce the gap at the Hungaroring at least. After this race, there are still ten GPs to go, so desperate attempts are (still) not necessary. It will be interesting to see how far both McLaren drivers will go today to give each other a proverbial slap in the face. ‘Free to race’. Let’s see what that yields, although the team will impress upon the pair not to crash together.
Verstappen Must Hope for a Miracle
Starting from the eighth position, Max Verstappen’s main hope is that a lot happens in front of him. However, there’s a high chance he might get stuck behind Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll (fifth and sixth). They focused on a good qualification on Saturday, and it is expected that they will lose speed during the race on Sunday, despite a well-functioning new front wing.
This presents additional challenges for someone like Verstappen when starting in the sub-top. The Dutchman simply does not have a car that can do much against drivers like Leclerc, Piastri, or Norris in Hungary at the moment. But never underestimate Verstappen – although he has already stated that rain will not help him.
Strategy and Race Speed
The race speed based on the long runs promises more good for some than for others. Let’s take a look:
The potential pit stop strategies are as follows:
And Furthermore…
…this is the fortieth edition of the Hungarian GP
…Max Verstappen is driving his 200th race for Red Bull
…a lap on the Hungaroring is 4381 meters long
…there were 65 overtaking maneuvers during the race in 2024
