Scuderia Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has spoken about the team’s qualifying performance at the Hungaroring after Lewis Hamilton said he was “useless.” Hamilton was visibly dejected and frustrated after being knocked out of Q2.
The Hungarian GP qualifying round ended with a big surprise after Charles Leclerc secured the pole position. While Leclerc was shocked at the result, claiming that he did not understand F1, Hamilton chose to blame himself for securing a P12 start for the Grand Prix. He said after qualifying:
“It’s just me every time.
“I’m useless, absolutely useless.
“Team has no problem, you’ve seen the car’s on pole. They probably need to change driver.”
Vasseur later explained the gravity of the situation by highlighting the small margins between the cars, and stressed that it was not the time to “rest on our laurels.” Addressing Leclerc’s pole position, the team boss told Sky Sports Italia, as quoted by Planet F1:
“It was the hardest pole we have achieved. We have always struggled to get the tyres into the right window this season, and we were almost out in Q2. We survived by a tenth. Charles finally got the tyres switched on.
“Everything is so sensitive, between first and tenth, the margin is tiny. In the end, everyone was on the edge. There were many ups and downs but in the end, we were stronger than expected. We must remember how difficult this session was, and we need to learn from it for the future.”
Addressing Hamilton’s qualifying performance, Vasseur emphasized the importance of managing the outlap to maintain tire temperature. He said:
“We know that the out lap is crucial. If you overheat the tyres in Turn 1, you risk trouble at the end of the lap, or you just slide too much. Hamilton was out in Q2, Charles only just made it.
“Lewis missed it by a few hundredths, but managing the out lap is always tough. Of course he’s frustrated, but it was only a few tenths that made the difference. It’s a shame. We have to learn from this: the result is good, but we cannot rest on our laurels.”
2025 Hungarian Grand Prix Starting Grid
1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. George Russell (Mercedes)
5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
6. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
7. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
8. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
10. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
11. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
12. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
13. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
14. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
15. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
16. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
17. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
18. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
19. Alex Albon (Williams)
20. Pit Lane Start – Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
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