"World Champion Hamilton Deemed Ineffective" or "Hamilton, World Champion, Failed to Achieve Success"
In a surprising turn of events, Charles Leclerc secured the pole position in the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, leaving seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in his dust. Hamilton finished the qualifying in 12th place, marking another disappointing result for the Ferrari driver in his first 13 races for the team.
The conditions in the final qualifying segment were challenging for all drivers, with the track cooling and experiencing a wind change. Despite these difficulties, Leclerc set an unexpected fastest time, while Hamilton and the McLaren drivers failed to improve their positions.
Fred Vasseur, the team principal who had lured Hamilton to Maranello with a contract extending until the end of 2026, acknowledged that Hamilton was initially ahead in the qualifying. However, the Ferrari team principal commented that Leclerc had to fight to reach the decisive Q3.
The Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying marked a low point for Hamilton, as he expressed feelings of fault and uselessness. In contrast, Leclerc's pole position was a surprise to both himself and his team, further highlighting the Monegasque driver's impressive performance.
Charles Leclerc's success this season can be attributed to better race results and overall performance metrics. So far, Leclerc has scored 119 points with 4 podiums, while Hamilton has managed only 103 points and zero podiums. Leclerc also leads Hamilton in Q3 qualifying appearances (11 to 10) and race head-to-heads (9 to fewer).
Ferrari's strategic choices, such as opting for different aerodynamic setups for each driver in recent races, also appear to have favored Leclerc's performance. This combination of better setup, consistent qualifying performance, and stronger race finishes explains why Leclerc is currently outperforming Hamilton.
With the upcoming 14th Grand Prix in red for Hamilton (Sunday, 3 pm/Sky), the seven-time world champion finds himself in a precarious position. Hamilton has suggested that the team might consider changing the driver due to his underperformance. However, with Leclerc's impressive form, it remains to be seen if Ferrari will make any drastic changes.
In the duel with Hamilton, Leclerc is emerging as the clear winner. Hamilton, at the age of 40, has never performed as poorly as he is currently, in his 19 seasons of Formula 1. The race results show an even worse gap, with Hamilton 3-10 behind Leclerc. As the season progresses, the question on everyone's mind is whether Hamilton can turn his fortunes around and reclaim his position at the top.
Leclerc excelled in the challenging conditions of the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, managing to set an unexpected fastest time and secure the pole position, thus highlighting his impressive performance. Despite initial promising signs in qualifying, Hamilton experienced a disappointing result, finishing in 12th place.
