2025 Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungaroring, Aug 01 - 03

[CjC]

What on earth happened there?

[matt_b]

P1-P4 0.053 that was fun to watch best qualifying session of the season

[Matt2725]

Yeah McLaren's tyre advantage has fell off once track temps get to the mid-30s in previous races as well. They quickly fall back into the pack at that point.

[SB15]

I have a strange feeling of a Leclerc win this weekend. I know he doesnt have a great track record on this track but feel like he is going to hook it up in qualifying and defend with all his might in the race.

I wish I had this much copium

It's pole, not a win

[cliffgamerz]

Also well done to Bortoleto for claiming P7 ahead of Max, but tomorrow will be a tough race for him to keep Max behind.

[ENGINE TUNER]

Incredibly close qually, whole top 10 within 6 tenths. Strangely the F1 grid is closer together than the F2 and F3 grids. Unprecedented times in F1

[ENGINE TUNER]

Apparently the wind shifted 180 degrees from q2 to q3, huge climactic changes totally shifted the nature of this qually session.

[search]

Also well done to Bortoleto for claiming P7 ahead of Max, but tomorrow will be a tough race for him to keep Max behind.

the Sauber looked like the faster car so far this weekend, I'd say. But yeah, Verstappen will probably find another gear in the race.

Ferrari's longrun was good as well yesterday. A bit slower than McLaren, of course, but may be enough to stay in front.

[CjC]

Yeah McLaren's tyre advantage has fell off once track temps get to the mid-30s in previous races as well. They quickly fall back into the pack at that point.

But that shouldn’t make Mclaren slower, unless Mclaren are ‘optimised’ to run in high temps which isn’t really the case when we look at their pace in the wet.

Think Lando eluded to it when he said that Charles risked more on his lap.

I know this will open up the armchair hero's who’ll call the Mclaren drivers sub-par but they shouldn’t forget they are both fighting for a drivers championship and simply can not afford to over risk and bin it. Norris has learnt that the hard way in Saudi and Piastri had a slender points margin to be ‘only’ P2

[FittingMechanics]

Yeah McLaren's tyre advantage has fell off once track temps get to the mid-30s in previous races as well. They quickly fall back into the pack at that point.

But that shouldn’t make Mclaren slower, unless Mclaren are ‘optimised’ to run in high temps which isn’t really the case when we look at their pace in the wet.

Think Lando eluded to it when he said that Charles risked more on his lap.

I know this will open up the armchair hero's who’ll call the Mclaren drivers sub-par but they shouldn’t forget they are both fighting for a drivers championship and simply can not afford to over risk and bin it. Norris has learnt that the hard way in Saudi and Piastri had a slender points margin to be ‘only’ P2

Not sure I buy "Charles risked more". They didn't have anything to lose as they were P1/P3 at the moment of their second runs. Especially Norris didn't have anything to lose.

This car seems to be able to be fine tuned to a specific track temperature in qualifying. They can then extract more than anyone else at that temperature. But if there is a big swing in temperature, they lose more than others because others are not as fine tuned.

McLaren did 1:14s in Q2. Lando did a 1:15:0 on a used set of softs in Q2. That lap by definition was "not risking it" yet it would take pole by ease. It's the temperature fine tuning that McLaren can do, and others can't.

[CjC]

Yeah McLaren's tyre advantage has fell off once track temps get to the mid-30s in previous races as well. They quickly fall back into the pack at that point.

But that shouldn’t make Mclaren slower, unless Mclaren are ‘optimised’ to run in high temps which isn’t really the case when we look at their pace in the wet.

Think Lando eluded to it when he said that Charles risked more on his lap.

I know this will open up the armchair hero's who’ll call the Mclaren drivers sub-par but they shouldn’t forget they are both fighting for a drivers championship and simply can not afford to over risk and bin it. Norris has learnt that the hard way in Saudi and Piastri had a slender points margin to be ‘only’ P2

Not sure I buy "Charles risked more". They didn't have anything to lose as they were P1/P3 at the moment of their second runs. Especially Norris didn't have anything to lose.

This car seems to be able to be fine tuned to a specific track temperature in qualifying. They can then extract more than anyone else at that temperature. But if there is a big swing in temperature, they lose more than others because others are not as fine tuned.

McLaren did 1:14s in Q2. Lando did a 1:15:0 on a used set of softs in Q2. That lap by definition was "not risking it" yet it would take pole by ease. It's the temperature fine tuning that McLaren can do, and others can't.

Was you able to see Ant’s analysis on Sky? The drivers didn’t look fully on it to me

[FittingMechanics]

Was you able to see Ant’s analysis on Sky? The drivers didn’t look fully on it to me

I don't have Sky.

But it doesn't really make sense. They had nothing to lose because they had good first laps. But if you have no grip because your tire prep / car is fully optimized for temperatures 15C higher, then you will look hesitant and cautious.

Lando did 1:15 flat on used tires. Oscar 1:15:2 or so. Both would be pole.

[ENGINE TUNER]

Yeah McLaren's tyre advantage has fell off once track temps get to the mid-30s in previous races as well. They quickly fall back into the pack at that point.

But that shouldn’t make Mclaren slower, unless Mclaren are ‘optimised’ to run in high temps which isn’t really the case when we look at their pace in the wet.

Think Lando eluded to it when he said that Charles risked more on his lap.

I know this will open up the armchair hero's who’ll call the Mclaren drivers sub-par but they shouldn’t forget they are both fighting for a drivers championship and simply can not afford to over risk and bin it. Norris has learnt that the hard way in Saudi and Piastri had a slender points margin to be ‘only’ P2

Not just a temperature drop, but a total opposite wind shift probably causing a very different balance particularly under heavy braking and corner entry.

[Magistos]

Personally not worried. It's pole, not the race.

A 2-3 starting for McLaren is fine - the drivers and car have shown they can handle it. Things happen. Sometimes you just get pipped by circumstances. I think it is a mistake to read anything into it.

[dialtone]

Not sure I buy "Charles risked more". They didn't have anything to lose as they were P1/P3 at the moment of their second runs. Especially Norris didn't have anything to lose.

This car seems to be able to be fine tuned to a specific track temperature in qualifying. They can then extract more than anyone else at that temperature. But if there is a big swing in temperature, they lose more than others because others are not as fine tuned.

McLaren did 1:14s in Q2. Lando did a 1:15:0 on a used set of softs in Q2. That lap by definition was "not risking it" yet it would take pole by ease. It's the temperature fine tuning that McLaren can do, and others can't.

Charles gained 0.1s in T6-7 chicane, was faster in all straights and despite the lower DF was purple in S2 and managed very well in S3, where on the onboard you can see how on the absolute edge he was. Charles put together a lap at the very limit of the car.

MCL simply did not, wind didn't start to blow 200mph, track temp wasn't favorable for Ferrari which prefers hotter temps, Ferrari doesn't have a wider window after all year they've been fighting setup issues and compromises and bad brakes and so on.

Someone or something in MCL dropped the ball pure and simple, still a great result but not the potential they could achieve.