"Miracle if we finish on the podium": Charles Leclerc goes on an impassioned rant during the F1 Hungarian GP

Ferrari star Charles Leclerc took the pole position at the 2025 Hungarian GP and was in the lead of the race for the first stint. However, the Monegasque soon started cryptically complaining to the car after the first stop, and let out an impassioned rant as Oscar Piastri passed him after the second pit stop.

Charles Leclerc took the pole position out of the blue, with both McLarens being the fastest cars throughout the weekend. As the five lights went out and the race began, the Ferrari driver created a respectable 2+ second gap to Oscar Piastri in P2 and maintained the same for the first stint.

The #81 McLaren pitted first, which forced Charles Leclerc to respond and cover off the undercut. The Monegasque pitted on the very next lap and came out ahead. However, Lando Norris, who was in P3 before the first round of pit stops, stayed out and opted to go for a 1-stop strategy, contrary to Leclerc and Piastri.

F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Source: Getty

Soon after the first stop, Leclerc came on the radio and cryptically complained to Ferrari, possibly about the tire strategy or the car's balance. He said,

"I can feel what we discussed before the race. We need to discuss those things, before doing those”

The same was followed by a message which read,

“We are going to lose this race with these things. We are losing so much time.”

The McLaren pit crew faked a pit stop, and Charles Leclerc took the bait and pitted, whereas Oscar Piastri continued. The Australian pitted a few laps later and then passed the Ferrari driver with ease. As Leclerc was passed by Piastri with George Russell chasing him, he came on the radio with a rant and said,

“This is so incredibly frustrating. We lost all competitiveness. You just have to listen to me. I would have found a different way of managing those issues. Now it's just undriveable, undriveable. It's a miracle if you finish on the podium.”

Leclerc kept losing time to Russell behind him and was eventually overtaken by the Mercedes driver.

Charles Leclerc and George Russell's battle for the final podium spot at the Hungarian GP

George Russell got into the DRS zone behind Charles Leclerc just a few laps after Oscar Piastri passed the Ferrari driver. The Monegasque driver struggled with the SF25 but battled hard for the final podium. As Russell tried making a move, the Ferrari driver moved under braking, leading to a furious rant from Russell.

“That was moving under braking! committed, and he moved while breaking. Almost crashed into the back of him. It's clearly not allowed.”

Russell eventually passed Leclerc on the inside of Lap 1, but the Ferrari driver again moved under braking. The same was noted by race control, and Charles Leclerc was given a 5-second penalty for erratic driving.

Edited by pranavsethii