Mogyorod, Aug 2 (IANS) Charles Leclerc pulled off a dramatic late surge to snatch pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, delivering a blistering final lap of 1m 15.372s to edge past the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris by mere thousandths of a second.

Qualifying was a tense affair as drops of rain in Q2 and shifting track conditions set the stage for a thrilling conclusion. Leclerc’s Ferrari looked second-best for much of Q3, but the Monegasque driver unleashed a stunning lap when it mattered most, toppling the McLaren drivers who had been trading fastest times.

George Russell impressed in his Mercedes to secure fourth on the grid, while Aston Martin capitalized on their promising practice pace as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll locked out P5 and P6, respectively.

Gabriel Bortoleto was one of the surprises of the day, delivering a superb lap for Kick Sauber to claim seventh, finishing ahead of reigning four-time World Champion Max Verstappen, who endured a challenging session in his Red Bull and could only manage eighth.

Racing Bulls celebrated a double top-10 result, with Liam Lawson continuing his strong form following his points finish in Belgium by qualifying ninth, just ahead of rookie teammate Isack Hadjar in tenth.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s struggles continued as the seven-time World Champion dropped out in Q2, ending up 12th after expressing his frustration over the radio with a resigned “every time.” He finished sandwiched between Haas’ Ollie Bearman in 11th and Williams’ Carlos Sainz in 13th.

Kimi Antonelli also missed out on Q3, initially qualifying 11th but dropping to 15th after a deleted lap for exceeding track limits. He starts just behind Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who secured 14th.

The biggest disappointment came for Yuki Tsunoda, who had reached Q3 at Spa but fell back to his Q1 woes, qualifying 16th. Behind him, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Haas’ Esteban Ocon will line up 17th and 18th, respectively.

Bringing up the rear were Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon, who couldn’t improve their times in the dying minutes of Q1, consigning the Haas and Williams drivers to the final row for Sunday’s race.

–IANS

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