Ferrari are not helping Charles Leclerc reach his full potential as alarming stat emerges at Hungarian Grand Prix

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Charles Leclerc secured his 27th career pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, he was unable to hold off the McLarens.

The Monegasque driver’s performance in qualifying at the Hungaroring came as a complete shock. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris had been topping every session up to that point, until Leclerc produced a stunning lap to take pole.

Karun Chandhok was stunned that Leclerc beat the McLarens, as he questioned how the Woking outfit lost so much pace between Q2 and Q3. Ferrari capitalised to take their first pole of 2025, and they were hoping to convert that to victory.

However, it was not to be, as Leclerc struggled with tyre issues throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris ended up undercutting the Monegasque driver before Piastri got past in the latter stages.

Leclerc lost all driveability as George Russell got past for P3, but not before the Ferrari moved across the Mercedes under braking at turn one. He was handed a five-second time penalty, but it did not affect the result as he limped home a disappointing fourth.

Charles Leclerc’s pole position conversion rate shows Ferrari are not helping him reach his full potential

Leclerc will be frustrated with the result, especially considering the potential the Ferrari had at the Hungaroring. He once again proved that he is one of the strongest drivers over one lap in qualifying, but he could not take advantage in the race.

Ferrari botched their strategy, much to Leclerc’s anger, as he had constantly warned them about the tyres and the lack of grip he was suffering from. The 27-year-old knew the race was slipping away from him, but his concerns were seemingly ignored.

It was another missed opportunity from Leclerc and Ferrari, which has been a familiar story whenever the former takes pole. The Hungarian GP now means that he has converted only one win of his last 16 races from starting at the front of the grid, that coming on home soil in Monaco in 2024.

Ferrari are simply not helping Leclerc reach his full potential, with at least a podium being almost definitely possible. The team have serious work to do as their quest for a win in 2025 goes on.

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The Hungarian Grand Prix proved Lewis Hamilton was right to demand changes from Ferrari

The Hungarian GP was ultimately another frustrating weekend for the Maranello outfit, with Lewis Hamilton finishing outside the points and a lap down in 12th. The 40-year-old had been knocked out in Q2 in qualifying, his second non-Q3 appearance in a row.

Fred Vasseur defended Hamilton after his elimination, claiming that the team got their approach wrong in Q2. They got their act together to help secure pole for Leclerc, only for it to unravel again in the race.

Leclerc’s strategy proved that the Maranello outfit have significant work to do over the summer break to improve their fortunes. These are changes that the drivers have been calling for, with Hamilton sending ‘documents’ to Ferrari staff, detailing which areas they need to fix.

Leclerc laughed when questioned about Hamilton’s comments, seeing it as a normal thing for a driver to do. The Hungarian GP proved the Brit was right to demand changes, as Ferrari continue to make the same mistakes in 2025.