Charles Leclerc avoided any overconfidence after Friday’s free practice for the Formula 1 Hungarian GP. Despite Ferrari’s strong performance, the Monegasque highlighted that the category often presents rapid changes, and believes that the fight for pole position will be much more balanced than the initial results indicated.
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The Italian team was one of the protagonists of the day at the Hungaroring, but Leclerc made it clear that the work is far from over. According to him, Ferrari will need to maintain focus to sustain its position throughout the rest of the weekend.
The driver positively evaluated the car’s behavior in Friday’s activities. Still, he emphasized that the observed advantage over competitors could significantly decrease when it comes time for the sessions that will truly define the starting grid.
“Our overall performance seems to be very good, which is a positive thing. There is still a long way to go this weekend, so we need to stay focused and work hard to ensure we stay ahead tomorrow,” he stated.
Leclerc believes that the qualifying scenario will be much tighter than what was seen during practice. For him, Ferrari cannot expect to repeat the gap presented to its rivals and will need to execute all stages without making mistakes.
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“It’s going to be very balanced on Saturday. I don’t expect us to see the same gap to our competitors that we saw today, so we’ll have to do a perfect job,” added the Monegasque.
In addition to the team’s execution, the driver highlighted the importance of finding the best feeling behind the wheel. According to Leclerc, this factor can be decisive in transforming the good performance shown so far into an important result at the Hungarian GP.
“If the feeling in the car is there, I’m sure we’ll have a good result,” he concluded.
With a cautious speech, Leclerc preferred to adopt a moderate tone after Friday. The driver’s message is clear, as Ferrari started well in Budapest, but will need to maintain the same level of performance to confirm its favoritism in the decisive sessions of the weekend.
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