Piastri Confident of Hungarian GP Victory from Second Despite Qualifying Frustration

Oscar Piastri, the current Formula 1 drivers’ championship leader, expressed strong confidence in his ability to win the Hungarian grand Prix from the second spot on the starting grid, despite describing Saturday’s qualifying session as “bizarre and somewhat frustrating.” The Australian driver will start alongside Ferrari’s pole-sitter Charles Leclerc at the Hungaroring, with his McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris set to begin the race in third.

Piastri,who holds a 16-point lead over Norris in the championship standings,is aiming for his seventh win of the season. He drew parallels to his performance at the same circuit last year, where he also started from second place and went on to secure his maiden F1 victory. “It was good last year, so hopefully it can be good again this year,” Piastri stated, underscoring his optimism.

The Hungarian Grand Prix, known for its challenging, twisty nature and difficulty in overtaking, could be further complicated by the potential for rain on Sunday.This unpredictable weather could considerably impact race strategy, a critical factor on the Hungaroring circuit.

McLaren had shown strong pace throughout the practice sessions, topping all three. Though, Leclerc managed to capitalize on the changing conditions to secure a surprise pole position. Piastri acknowledged the shift in performance, remarking, “If you’re sat where Charles is, fantastic. If you’re sat where I’m sat, bizarre and somewhat frustrating.” He attributed the session’s outcome to a significant change in conditions,describing it as “weird.”

“I think our pace has been good, but Charles has been quick all weekend, in certain sessions,” Piastri added. “It is a very tough track to overtake on, and it’s not going to be the easiest place to try and regain the lead.”

Norris, a four-time race winner this season, echoed his teammate’s sentiments. “I think we always have, at least in the race, a bit more of an advantage,” he commented. “But our main competitor over the last four, five races has been Charles and it’s been the Ferrari. So, if there was anyone else that’s going to be on pole today, it was going to be Charles. And if there’s anyone that’s going to make our life tough tomorrow,it’s going to be the same guy.”