Formula 1: Leclerc deludes then collapses, Hungaroring is another one-two punch for Norris and Piastri

Worthy of note is the fifth place of Alonso, who recently turned 44, and put his snout in front of one of the youngest drivers in the top series, rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, in his best career result with a sixth place finish, which counts as the third Grand Prix points in his debut year. Thanks to this promising Brazilian driver, this is the sixth consecutive race in which the Swiss stable Sauber, which will soon take on the Audi colours, finishes with drivers in the points.

Behind them it sounds almost unbelievable to see Lance Stroll in seventh place, an alien from the top ten since the first two grands prix of 2025: a sign that the AMR25 is progressing, although the best will probably come with the new 2026 cars, the first fully signed by Adrian Newey.

The eighth to ninth positions are not only the most painful but also the most unpredictable and underwhelming not only in terms of numbers but also in terms of significance: Liam Lawson, eighth, saves face and shows himself for once superior to his good team-mate Hadjar, today further back and also lapped. Ninth is none other than Verstappen: he finds himself last full lap seventy-two seconds behind Norris; something very bad to see. There is no technical or logical justification for him and the public to accept such a performance one race from his home race in Holland after the three-week break at the turn of August. The team without Horner has probably taken a downward parabola and the four-time champion himself stated this weekend that he 'does not believe he can return to victory with this car in 2025'.

The point of the flag goes to Kimi Antonelli, who is coming from a very bad streak of three horrible races after touching the sky with his first podium in Canada. A small injection of confidence for a young man who needs support. On the other hand, this result comes at the expense of a big absentee from the points zone today, Lewis Hamilton.

Leclerc's decline: many had believed it

Hard to accept going from first to off the podium. Hard to keep quiet inside the helmet when there are still more than 10 minutes to go. And even when the race is over: Leclerc is suffering the same pains as Alonso when he had the red suit on and sometimes repeats the same mistakes because of the same pressure.

Of course, with more than half the race ahead of everyone from the very first lap, many hoped Leclerc would make it to the top. Instead, he doesn't even make it onto the podium.

Charles Leclerc, who started from pole, lost out at the Hungaroring due to a combination of strategic factors and technical problems. Initially, he gave up positions following the first pit stop, when a 'trick' from the pits of his Papaya rivals and, in general, McLaren's strategy allowed the manufacturers' leaders to pass him. Subsequently, he came in badly after the second tyre change and complained over the radio about technical problems that made his car what he said was 'unrideable', so much so that by lap 53 he was already saying that 'it will be a miracle' to get on the podium. His pace was compromised and, in fact, on lap 62 Russell passed him, dropping him to fourth.

Yet something good had happened today. In fact, Leclerc managed to hold the lead for a long time. He had made a great start among other things while the start had been very confusing for Norris, perhaps penalised by the hard tyres, losing two positions. Alonso had managed to pass him on lap two, while in the meantime Leclerc was setting the best lap, with a clear track and a chance to put Piastri a second and six tenths behind.

Behind an Alonso in excellent form was also in super form the rookie Bortoleto, the young man who represents Brazil's return to the circus and who allows himself with a modest Sauber to keep behind none other than the reigning world champion, eighth on the grid and ninth at the finish line, at least for many laps, given that Verstappen chose less than a third of the seventy laps to mount the hard tyres and attempt to reach the end with only one pit stop.

Finally, the 'old' expert on this track, Hamilton, with nine pole positions and eight victories in Hungary, is struggling to climb out of the 'underworld' of the double-digit positions that should never belong to a Maranello single-seater. In fact, the seven-time world champion is going through a very intense 'no' moment and the hope is that during the summer break he will find support in the team and in himself to get out of an impasse that ranges from personal discomfort and a car that is increasingly difficult to challenge, given that Leclerc makes it go better, but objectively it is not entirely competitive nor suited to his characteristics.

The memory of a fantastic pole

While yesterday there had been a negative peak for Hamilton, unable to enter Q3, Charles Leclerc had instead conquered an unexpected pole position in Hungary thanks to lucidity, intuition and precise decisions. He had immediately understood the importance of the preparation lap on cold tyres and asked to go out first in Q3, making the most of the track conditions. With a low load set-up chosen by Ferrari and a courageous manoeuvre in turn 11, he had managed to sign a flawless lap just as the others were struggling to adapt to the sudden drop in asphalt temperature. In a chaotic environment, Leclerc made the difference. And no one believed it, not even the TV directors: his performance caught many off guard, even the driver himself, incredulous and surprised in the joyful interviews at the end of the practice session.