McLaren face dilemma over 'sacrifice' after Leclerc's shock pole

Charles Leclerc's Hungaroring heroics not only robbed McLaren of what seemed a certain pole position, but has left Formula 1's dominant team facing a major dilemma ahead of Sunday's race.

World championship leader Oscar Piastri and his team-mate Lando Norris, who are separated by just 16 points at the top of the drivers' standings, appeared to be in an exclusive battle for pole on Saturday after dominating all three practice sessions.

However, a change in conditions late in qualifying saw McLaren's performance fall away, with Leclerc on hand to claim Ferrari's first grand prix pole of the season as Piastri beat Norris to second.

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While an inquest will no doubt be held into how McLaren let pole slip away, attention will swiftly turn to how they can overturn the mishap to win on Sunday.

With Leclerc's team-mate Lewis Hamilton starting down in 12th, McLaren's two-against-one situation at the front should theoretically give them a strategic advantage over Ferrari.

However, with McLaren and their drivers already so far clear in both the constructors' and drivers' standings, keeping the peace in the title battle may be seen as more important than denying Leclerc victory.

Piastri wary of strategy split 'pros and cons'

Given the difficulty of overtaking at the Hungaroring, the most effective way to make ground at the circuit is often via an undercut.

We saw the power of it last year when McLaren got themselves into an almighty pickle as they allowed Norris to undercut leader Piastri.

McLaren reversed their usual protocol of allowing the driver ahead on track to pit first to nullify the threat of Norris being undercut from those behind him, but that swapped the order of their drivers.

After refusing repeated orders to allow Piastri, who was chasing a maiden grand prix win, back into the lead, Norris finally relented in the closing stages as he prioritised team harmony over his quest to chase down championship leader Max Verstappen.

This time around, McLaren could pit one of their cars early to force a reaction from Leclerc, leaving the one that stays out longer with a potential tyre advantage later in the race.

Sky Sports F1's Jamie Chadwick explained: "McLaren kind of need to sacrifice one, almost, to help the other one if they really want to give themselves the best chance."

Asked about the prospect of working with his team-mate to deny Leclerc victory, Piastri told Sky Sports F1: "I think we're both going to try and win the race. I think that's our goal.

"We'll have to wait and see what the weather does. It's a place where strategy is a factor as well.

"There's a lot of things where you can win or lose but I'm sure we'll both be trying to win the race in our own right.

"Potentially [we need to be on different strategies], it depends what our pace is like and where we end up after lap one.

"If you pit earlier, you can get the undercut but pay for that later in the stint. If you go later then you've got to try to overtake on track, so there's pros and cons to both."

Bernie: Neither McLaren driver will accept inferior strategy

Chadwick and fellow Sky Sports F1 pundit Bernie Collins said they would be surprised to see either McLaren driver prioritise beating Leclerc over their own personal battle.

Chadwick said: "Based on Oscar's comments about splitting the strategy, it didn't necessarily sound like they would jump to do that given the position in the championship."

Former Aston Martin strategy chief Collins added: "Neither of them will accept, going into the race, that they are the one that stops earlier to attract Leclerc in and open it up for the other.

"Neither of them will want to be in that position so it would be quite difficult and harsh on one of them.

"The beauty they have is they have strong lead in the Constructors' Championship so from a team side they don't need to go all out for the win.

"The team will be happy if they go for a two-three and the drivers were in a settled position, rather than getting the absolute win.

"They'll give it all tomorrow, both drivers will as well. It's about not ending up in the situation they had last year where they were trying to reverse the cars unnecessarily."

Norris targets the start

Perhaps acknowledging that the scenario will be a straight three-way fight rather than a two-on-one, Norris appears to be focused on the start rather than a strategic battle.

He told Sky Sports F1: "The start here is probably the most important thing and the opening lap.

"But it's a long race and there's meant to be rain as well, so I'm sure that will play a part.

"We can prepare as much as you want but in races like these sometimes you make decisions on the go and make the best of strategy, pit stops and lap one.

"Charles was not far away on Friday. He has been the closest to us in the last three, four or five races both in qualifying and the races themselves.

"If anyone was going to be ahead today it's going to be Charles. If anyone is going to make our lives difficult tomorrow, it's also him."

Would rain help or hinder Leclerc?

As both McLaren drivers mentioned, there is also the threat of rain, the potential impact of which is unclear.

McLaren almost certainly would have the fastest car in dry conditions, but the difficulty of overtaking at the circuit means they would need a large advantage over Leclerc to pull off a move on track.

Verstappen was able to hold the McLarens off in a slower Red Bull in Japan and Imola earlier this year, but Leclerc would undoubtedly have his hands full.

If it were to rain, overtaking on track becomes more possible, but McLaren's advantage might be reduced or erased, with Leclerc also potentially having the major benefit of clear air, and no spray from a car in front to contend with.

Leclerc said: "I think there's some rain around tomorrow. If that is the case, then it's obviously easier to overtake, but it's always better to be starting first.

"Especially on this track, I'm very happy with my starting position, and now full focus on trying to keep it tomorrow."

Ferrari struggled for pace in wet conditions earlier in the season, but appeared much improved last weekend when it rained in Belgium.

That display came following the introduction of a long-awaited rear suspension upgrade at Spa, which Leclerc thinks could increase his chances of victory if it rains again in Budapest.

He added: "It probably makes a difference. The first part of the of the racing Spa was better than Silverstone, for sure, but we'll see.

"Hopefully tomorrow, we have another example of feeling better in those conditions."

Sky Sports F1's Hungarian GP Schedule

Sunday August 3
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
10.40am: Porsche Supercup Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Hungarian GP build-up*
2pm: The HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Hungarian GP reaction

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1 is in Budapest at the Hungarian Grand Prix for the final race before the sport's summer break, watch live on Sky Sports F1 from Friday. For Sky customers, Sky Sports F1 is now found on channel 407. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime