Lewis Hamilton endured his worst-ever qualifying performance at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, with the seven-time Formula 1 world champion eliminated in Q2 and forced to settle for a disappointing 12th place on the grid ahead of Sunday’s race. It marked a surprising low point in Hamilton’s storied history at the Hungaroring, a circuit where he has previously enjoyed immense success.
This was only the second time in his entire Formula 1 career that Hamilton failed to reach Q3 in Hungary. The only other occasion came in 2014, when a power unit failure in his Mercedes prevented him from setting a lap time at all. Since then, his lowest qualifying position at this venue had been seventh in 2022. The British driver has a long-standing affinity with the Budapest track, having claimed an impressive nine pole positions here over the years—achieved in 2007 (inherited after Fernando Alonso’s penalty), 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, and as recently as 2023.
While Hamilton struggled to extract performance from his Ferrari SF-25 in the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session, his teammate Charles Leclerc delivered a stunning lap to secure pole position. It was the Monegasque driver’s first career pole at the Hungaroring—a track he has often found difficult in previous seasons—and also Ferrari’s first pole of the 2025 season. The result gave the Scuderia their first pole at the circuit since Sebastian Vettel topped qualifying in 2017, going on to win the race that year.
Hamilton’s lack of pace in qualifying drew attention from observers, with former driver and current commentator Sam Bird noting that the 40-year-old Briton did not appear fully comfortable in the car. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, Bird suggested that Hamilton’s final lap in Q2 seemed untidy and lacked the confidence typically associated with the veteran driver. He pointed out that Hamilton appeared particularly unsettled during the braking phases—an area of concern that may have contributed significantly to his underperformance.
During Q2, Hamilton posted a lap time of 1:15.702, narrowly missing out on a place in the top 10 shootout by just 0.015 seconds. It was Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto who edged him out for a Q3 berth. In contrast, Charles Leclerc recorded a 1:15.455 in Q2—the sixth-fastest time of the session—giving him a 0.247-second advantage over his Ferrari teammate. Leclerc then found further improvement in Q3, delivering a superb 1:15.372 to take pole position. McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris followed closely behind, with the Australian just 0.026 seconds off Leclerc’s pace and Norris trailing by only 0.041 seconds.
Hamilton will now face a challenging task in Sunday’s race, aiming to carve his way through the midfield. He will be hoping to match his best result since joining Ferrari at the start of the 2025 season—fourth place—coincidentally also the position he finished from P4 in the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix. To achieve that, Ferrari will need Hamilton to manage tyre degradation effectively, a skill he displayed consistently during his years at Mercedes. His former teammate Valtteri Bottas had often praised Hamilton’s precision during qualifying at the Hungaroring, particularly his ability to perfectly execute the final corners and regulate tyre temperatures.
With Ferrari’s front-row hopes now resting on Leclerc’s pole and Hamilton’s recovery drive from P12, the Scuderia will be looking for both strategy and racecraft to deliver a strong points haul in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
