Charles Leclerc concedes defeat against Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, heading into the Hungary GP qualifying

F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Previews - Source: Getty
Charles Leclerc during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Source: Getty

Charles Leclerc appears to have conceded defeat to the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ahead of tomorrow’s (August 2) qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 27-year-old detailed how tough it would be for him to beat the Papaya coloured team drivers to pole position at the Budapest event.

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The Scuderia Ferrari driver who headed into the Hungary race off the back of a podium finish at the Belgian Grand Prix largely failed to make an impression on both Norris and Piastri through both the first and second practice sessions. Leclerc was over two-tenths of a second off the pace during the FP1 session, and the gap to the McLaren duo grew to almost four-tenths during the FP2 session.

Weighing in on his chances of challenging for pole position against both drivers tomorrow, Charles Leclerc admitted to it being tough but that he would not be giving up.

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“For now, it looks like [third] it’s our position. I think it’s going to be very tough to go and beat the McLarens tomorrow, they seem to be a step forward, but never say never,” Leclerc said during his interaction with the media following the FP2 session.
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So far, the McLaren team have again proven to be the team to beat through the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. The Woking-based outfit clocked the fastest timing in both sessions, with Lando Norris leading the field ahead of Oscar Piastri.


Charles Leclerc aims for a positive result at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc earlier detailed his desire to record a positive result at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Scuderia Ferrari driver has largely boasted an underwhelming run of results at the Hungaroring.

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The Monagasque driver who appears to have found momentum over the previous race weekends, detailed how he aims to finish in the podium places come race Sunday. Leclerc also drew a subtle comparison with the Budapest crituit and his home Grand Prix in Monaco.

“Many people compare the Hungaroring to Monaco without the barriers, and yet, unlike at my home track, I’ve never had a good result here. Recently, we have made good progress in terms of competitiveness, and it would be great to finally make it onto the podium at a circuit where I’ve never had much luck,” he said via Ferrari’s official website.

So far, since joining the Ferrari team, Charles Leclerc has failed to finish on the podium at the Hungary race. The former Alfa Romeo driver has, on two occasions, including last season, finished in fourth place at the event. Leclerc also boasts a sixth and seventh-place finish, which caps off his total points scoring finish at the Hungarian GP event. The eight-time race winner will now shift his focus to improving his record at the circuit when the lights go out to signal the commencement of the race weekend.

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Edited by Luke Koshi
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