Charles Leclerc. The Italians call him Il Predestinato, “the Chosen One.” His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, may be he a 7-time world champion, but Charles Leclerc is undoubtedly Ferrari’s golden boy. Every inch of him seems to be born to drive in that iconic red livery. And every now and then, he shows glimpses of his magic.
Qualifying at Budapest was a chaotic affair. The Mclarens seemed the class of the grid during the free practice sessions, but Ferrari were looking competitive, enough for the 2nd row of the grid. Then the performance fell away. Lewis Hamilton knocked out in Q2, Charles Leclerc barely making it through to the pole shoot-out that is Q3. The Aston Martins were a threat, with both drivers turning up the heat when it mattered.
Suddenly, it all changed again. Come the last laps of qualifying, the winds picked up, the temperatures dropped… and Charles Leclerc came to life, setting a stunning lap to just marginally pip the Mclarens behind him for Ferrari’s first pole of the season. His disbelief was evident in radio message and interview afterwards, smiling widely as he stated, “I don’t understand anything.” Perhaps even more telling was the shock of the papaya duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, whose confusion at not being 1st and 2nd was evident in their post-qualifying interviews.
Every inch of him seems to be born to drive in that iconic red livery.
It’s no secret that Charles Leclerc has proven himself to be one of the best qualifiers on the grid, his pace over a single lap in recent years second to none except maybe Max Verstappen himself. And each of these drivers have a signature when it comes to qualifying. If Max Verstappen poles are desperate and willful, if Lewis Hamilton poles are clean and elegant, then Charles Leclerc poles are those sprinkled in golden fairy dust. Whether it comes from the majestic quality of the lap, the heart-warming, gut-wrenching story of man himself, or the historic team he drives for, the magic whispering beneath every turn and flowing over each gear shift is undeniable.
Yet, in his 7th year at Ferrari, Charles Leclerc has accumulated 27 pole positions, only 8 wins… and exactly 0 world championships. The blame cannot come down solely to him, with Ferrari just not having the car to challenge for the title. The closes they came was 2022, when Charles finished 2nd, but still only beating Sergio Perez in the Red Bull by 3 points, and finishing a whopping 148 points behind Max Verstappen. Still, the power in the name, Ferrari, and his ability to deliver when the car has pace, keeps him believing.
Qualifying round-up:
To get an idea of how nail-biting close this qualifying session was, consider some numbers. The gap from 1st to 20th was less than a second. The gap from 1st to 10th was 0.543 seconds, making this the closest top-10 in Formula One history. The gap between the top 6 was 0.126 seconds. The gap between the top 4? 0.053 seconds. Take a look at this incredible graphic, visualizing just how close the top 6 are
The best part of this is not just the closeness of the cars, but also the fact that you can see 4 different teams in the picture.
This, this, is Formula One.
What of the race?
Hopefully a processional race doesn’t ruin the stellar Saturday vibe. Pole is the best position to start the Hungarian Grand Prix, unlike Belgium last week, where 2nd place is often the better starting position because of the track’s long straights and the initial overtaking opportunities they provide. The Mclarens were the fastest in terms of race pace, but Ferrari seemed only a tenth off after the Friday practice sessions. It could be the perfect opportunity for Charles Leclerc to improve his pole-to-win ratio. The Mercedes were a further tenth off, according to the commentators. But with rain in the air… that’s Max Verstappen territory. He may have qualified only 8th, but expect him to make a few places off the line, and if the rain does come, then who knows? A podium, a win is never out of reach for the Dutch Lion. Meanwhile, what can the Aston Martins do? Possibly fight for a podium? Are the Mclarens going to work together to dispatch the Ferrari in front of them, or is it each to their own? And what of Antonelli, Hamilton and Tsunoda making their way through the field from the back of the grid?
Questions, so many questions. I, for one, am sat for the answers.
Top 4 separated by 0.053 seconds… and yet Ferrari somehow finds a way to mess up pit stops in under 3 seconds!!!