George Russell and Charles Leclerc became central figures in a dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix that saw tempers flare both on and off the track. The Ferrari driver, who stunned the paddock with a sensational pole position on Saturday, endured a nightmare race riddled with strategic blunders and mechanical woes, culminating in a fiery exchange over team radio and a thinly veiled jab from Russell in the cooldown room.
Starting from pole, Leclerc faced an uphill battle to fend off McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, with Mercedes’ Russell lurking close behind. His challenge quickly unraveled, however, as handling issues plagued his SF-24, prompting a series of exasperated radio messages. In one particularly searing outburst, Leclerc vented, “This is incredibly frustrating. We’ve lost all competitiveness… The car is undriveable. It’s a miracle if we finish on the podium.”
As Leclerc’s race deteriorated, Russell seized his opportunity. A tense wheel-to-wheel contest unfolded at Turn 1, where Russell accused the Ferrari driver of moving under braking—a violation that nearly caused contact. “He moved while I was committed,” Russell complained over radio. Although Russell ultimately cleared Leclerc on merit, the Ferrari man was later slapped with a five-second penalty for his defensive maneuvers, further compounding his misery.
The drama didn’t end at the checkered flag. In the cooldown room alongside Norris and Piastri, Russell couldn’t resist a pointed remark while reviewing race footage: “He didn’t bloody drive like that against me.” The McLaren duo reacted with audible gasps as the footage rolled, highlighting just how chaotic Leclerc’s defensive driving appeared. For Russell, the jab served as a final flourish after claiming the last podium spot.
Post-race, Leclerc conceded that his frustration stemmed from incomplete information during the race and later revealed a chassis fault from lap 40 that rendered the car nearly unmanageable. “I didn’t have the full picture in the car… From that moment I was just a passenger,” he admitted. With Norris securing victory and Piastri tightening his grip on the championship lead, Ferrari heads into the summer break under growing scrutiny—while Russell exits Hungary having landed both a podium and a parting shot.
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