Formula 1: Leclerc gives false hope, then collapses, the Hungaroring is another one-two for Norris and Piastri.

Worth noting is Alonso's fifth-place finish, having just turned 44, ahead of one of the youngest drivers in the top-flight, rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, who achieved his best career result with sixth place, marking his third Grand Prix point-scoring finish in his debut year. Thanks to this promising Brazilian driver, this is the sixth consecutive race in which the Swiss Sauber team, which will soon switch to Audi, has finished with drivers in the points.

Behind them, it seems almost incredible to see Lance Stroll in seventh place, having missed out on the top ten since the first two Grands Prix of 2025: a sign that the AMR25 is progressing, even if the best will probably come with the new 2026 cars, the first entirely designed by Adrian Newey.

The eighth to ninth positions are not only the most challenging, but also the most unpredictable and subdued, not just in terms of numbers but also in terms of meaning: Liam Lawson, eighth, saves face and for once proves superior to his good teammate Hadjar, who was further back today and even lapped. Ninth is none other than Verstappen: he finds himself last to finish full laps, seventy-two seconds behind Norris; a very ugly sight. There is no technical or logical justification that could make him and the fans accept such a performance one race away from his home race in Holland, after the three-week break around mid-August. The team without Horner is likely on a downward spiral, and the four-time champion himself stated this weekend that "he doesn't believe he can return to winning ways with this car in 2025."

The point goes to Kimi Antonelli, who's coming off a very poor streak of three awful races after reaching the top with his first podium in Canada. It's a small boost of confidence for a young driver who needs support. On the other hand, this result comes at the expense of a notable absentee from today's points, Lewis Hamilton.

Leclerc's decline: many believed it

It's hard to accept going from first to second. It's hard to stay quiet inside your helmet with more than 10 minutes to go. And even after the race is over: Leclerc is suffering the same pain Alonso did when he was in the red suit and sometimes repeats the same mistakes due to the same pressure.

Of course, he was first, with over half the race ahead of everyone since the first lap, so many hoped Leclerc could reach the top. Instead, he didn't even manage to get on the podium.

Charles Leclerc, who started from pole, lost the race at the Hungaroring due to a combination of strategic factors and technical issues. He initially lost ground following the first pit stop, when a trick from rivals Papaya and McLaren's strategy in general allowed the constructors' leaders to pass him. He then returned poorly after the second tire change and complained over the radio about technical problems that rendered his car, in his words, "undriveable," so much so that by lap 53 he was already saying that "it will be a miracle" to reach the podium. His pace was compromised, and indeed, on lap 62 Russell passed him, dropping him to fourth place.

Yet there was some good today. Looking closely, Leclerc managed to maintain the lead for a long time. He got off to a great start, while Norris had a very confusing start, perhaps penalized by the hard tires, losing two positions. Alonso managed to pass him on the second lap, while Leclerc set the fastest lap, with a clear track and the chance to edge Piastri by 1.6 seconds.

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

Finally, the "old" expert on this track, Hamilton, with nine pole positions and eight wins in Hungary, is struggling, unable to climb from the "hell of double-digit rankings" that should never be the lot of a Maranello car. The seven-time world champion is going through a very difficult time, and the hope is that during the summer break he'll find support from the team and within himself to break out of a stalemate that stems from personal difficulties and a car that's increasingly difficult to challenge, given that Leclerc makes it perform better, but objectively isn't entirely competitive or suited to his characteristics.

The memory of a fantastic pole

While yesterday saw a dramatic decline for Hamilton, who failed to make it to Q3, Charles Leclerc instead clinched an unexpected pole position in Hungary thanks to his clarity, intuition, and precise decisions. He immediately understood the importance of the preparation lap on cold tires and demanded to be the first to go out in Q3, making the most of the track conditions. With a low-downforce setup chosen by Ferrari and a bold move at Turn 11, he managed to post a flawless lap just as the others were struggling to adapt to the sudden drop in track temperature. In a chaotic environment, Leclerc made the difference. And no one believed it, not even the television crew: his performance caught many off guard, even the driver himself, who was incredulous and surprised in the joyful interviews following the practice session.