(Motorsport-Total.com) – Dream start for Scuderia Ferrari in Budapest: On the windy and uneven Hungaroring, the Reds secured a strong starting position on Friday’s practice day. Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in the second free practice, while teammate Charles Leclerc took second place with only 0.148 seconds behind. Ferrari was half a second ahead of Lando Norris in the McLaren.
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Behind fourth-placed Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull currently seems to be losing out on top speed and pure pace, Mercedes also had a difficult afternoon. George Russell struggled with the balance of the rear axle, while Kimi Antonelli slid off the track during his qualifying simulation.
Despite the clear superiority, Leclerc warns against premature conclusions for the upcoming qualifying session. “Tomorrow it will be extremely close as always,” emphasizes the Monegasque to Sky. “I don’t expect us to be able to maintain this lead. We have to get everything perfect tomorrow.”
New Rear Wing Brings Downforce to the SF-26
Responsible for the strong start is, among other things, a new aerodynamic upgrade: Ferrari has brought a revised rear wing to Hungary, which provides significantly more downforce, especially on the winding track. “It was a relatively strong day from the start. I immediately felt comfortable in the car,” explains Leclerc.
At the same time, the Monegasque is aware of the dynamics of a Formula 1 weekend: “From Friday to Saturday, other teams often make big leaps. Normally, we tend to lag behind on Fridays, so it’s good to have a strong Friday. But we need to stay focused and continue to work hard.”
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Vasseur Sees Tires as Main Reason for Large Gaps
Team boss Frederic Vasseur also dampens the euphoria in the Reds’ camp in his usual factual manner. “So far, everything is good, but on Friday you neither get pole position nor win the race,” the Frenchman clarifies. “Tomorrow the cards will be reshuffled.”
Vasseur attributes the clear gap to the competition primarily to the sensitive Pirelli tires. The overheating of the softest compound artificially distorted the standings: “It’s extremely difficult to keep the tires in the optimal window for an entire lap. If you lose grip, you immediately lose a lot of time. But everyone will improve by tomorrow afternoon.”
In addition, red flag interruptions in the second practice prevented meaningful long runs over longer distances. “We had a lot of traffic and had to slow down. We don’t have a clear picture for the race yet – but that’s currently the case for all teams,” Vasseur concluded.
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