Leclerc pips Hamilton to fourth with DHL Fastest Lap

Ferrari had actually gone into the final Formula 1 race before the summer break as favorites – it was thought that the slow, twisty Hungaroring would suit the SF-26. In qualifying, however, the Scuderia were bested by Lando Norris. Due to a grid penalty, Lewis Hamilton was obliged to start the race from fifth. Charles Leclerc capitalized on the Brit's plight and moved up to second place.

Unfortunately, the man from Monaco got off to a poor start and was dropped back to P5. During his first stint on soft tires, Leclerc was able to tail Hamilton but couldn't overtake him. On lap 16, he pitted for new tires (hard), but ended up right behind his teammate again. It wasn't until race control deployed the virtual safety car on lap 56 that things got interesting again for Leclerc.

Ferrari opted for a third pit stop for both drivers under the VSC. Leclerc returned to the track in fifth place on used soft tires. Meanwhile, Hamilton received a five-second penalty for driving 0.1 km/h too fast in the pit lane. Leclerc set out in pursuit with the aim of beating him to fourth place. He completed lap 58 in just 1:22.000 minutes, setting the DHL Fastest Lap in the process.

Leclerc crossed the finish line four seconds behind Hamilton and was duly promoted to fourth place because of the penalty. After a relatively disappointing race, the Ferrari driver blamed himself for the start: "I knew it was a critical moment of the race. Unfortunately, I did the right procedure, but for some reason we underestimated the grip level on my side of the grid."