Charles Leclerc sought to temper the excitement surrounding Ferrari for the Formula 1 Hungarian GP, despite the team appearing among the favorites for this upcoming weekend’s race. The Monegasque driver stated that it is still too early for any predictions and emphasized that the real performance will only be known when the cars are on track in Budapest.
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Confidence around Ferrari increased after the team’s recent results. The SF-26 secured victory at Silverstone and finished second at Spa-Francorchamps, two circuits where greater difficulty was expected due to the car’s characteristics.
The Hungaroring circuit, in turn, is considered a track that favors cars efficient in corners, which further fuels expectations. Another factor is the history of Lewis Hamilton, Leclerc’s teammate, winner of eight editions of the Hungarian GP.
Even so, the Monegasque preferred to keep his feet on the ground when asked about Ferrari’s chances: “We can be strong, but we can also not be, and we will never know until we get there,” he stated after his second place finish in Spa.
Leclerc recalled that a similar situation happened before the Monaco GP. On that occasion, Ferrari arrived surrounded by expectations but did not live up to what was expected, while Kimi Antonelli won the race and Leclerc himself suffered a retirement in his home race.
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“It’s very difficult to predict the performance level of each team. I remember very well the feeling before Monaco, when we arrived there and performed below what everyone expected. I think we need to be cautious. We need to do our job, as we do at every track. What we did particularly well in the last two races was maximize our package, and that should be the mindset for Budapest, without thinking about expectations,” he said.
Fred Vasseur also adopted a cautious tone before the Hungarian round. The Ferrari boss emphasized that all teams continue to develop their cars and that factors such as tire management, setup, and circuit characteristics can alter the balance of power.
“Everyone is bringing updates and we don’t know the performance landscape. If we do the same quality work as this weekend, that can bring results, but it’s not guaranteed. It’s not guaranteed for us, nor for others. Every weekend starts from scratch,” said the team principal.
Vasseur concluded by reinforcing that Ferrari cannot assume it will have an easy time in Budapest: “In theory, Silverstone and Spa were probably more difficult tracks for us than some others, but on the other hand, in Monaco we didn’t shine. This means we need to keep pushing, maintain the same approach, and never think it will be easy, because it’s never easy,” concluded the Frenchman.
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