Charles Leclerc was left downbeat after finding himself eliminated at the first hurdle in Qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, the first time since the Chinese Grand Prix in April that he failed to get out of Q1.
The Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team driver found himself seventeenth when everyone finished their laps in the closing moments of the session, with track conditions improving all the time as they dried up after pre-session rain, despite thunderbolts and lightning surrounding the circuit throughout the session.
Leclerc says his final fast lap was not enough that left him on the wrong side of the cut off point, but he hopes to make progress on race day, aiming for a return to the points for the first time since the Austrian Grand Prix, and his sixth of the season that has included a sixth place finish in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April.
“It was not a good day for me,” said Leclerc, who will start behind team-mate Marcus Ericsson, who advanced into Q2 himself and will start fourteenth. “Qualifying was tricky as it started raining lightly just before the session started. We went out on intermediate tyres, however, the track was too dry to put in good lap times.
“After we changed to Ultrasoft tyres, we got back in the mix, but all of the teams were advancing quickly and positions were changing within seconds. At the end, it was not enough today.
“I hope that the race tomorrow will be an interesting one, and that we will be able to make some progress.”
