Ferrari entered the Formula 1 mid-year break with a bittersweet feeling. Despite acknowledging advances in car development, the team left the Hungarian GP frustrated after a weekend marked by errors and missed opportunities.
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Charles Leclerc finished fourth, while Lewis Hamilton was fifth. According to the team, the result fell short of the potential demonstrated throughout the weekend, especially after the expectations created by the performance shown on Friday.
Leclerc explained that he lost decisive positions right after the start, a determining factor on a track where overtaking is particularly complicated: “We lost some positions at the start, and on a circuit like this, we simply couldn’t recover them,” he stated. The Monegasque also highlighted the difficulty in finding grip during the race and noted that current cars are extremely sensitive to small variations in tire behavior.
The Monegasque driver acknowledged that Ferrari seemed stronger than it actually was before the qualifying session: “We realized after the qualifying session that we would face more difficulties than initially appeared,” he said. Still, Leclerc praised the work done in Maranello and on track, highlighting that the updates introduced to the car allowed the team to evolve and achieve two victories this season.
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Hamilton shared the same assessment. The Briton thanked the team’s effort throughout the first half of the championship but admitted frustration with the result obtained this Sunday: “It’s disappointing to come away with so little when the potential was there,” he added. Even after dropping points in recent races, Hamilton highlighted that he remains in second place in the championship and showed confidence for the rest of the season.
Team principal Fred Vasseur was direct in analyzing the Scuderia’s performance: “The race was not good for us, with many problems and errors, even if the first of them happened yesterday, in the qualifying session,” he assessed. The manager cited Leclerc’s loss of positions in the first corner, as well as strategic decisions made during the race, but highlighted the reduction of the gap to Mercedes as a positive point. Now, according to Vasseur, it’s time to recharge the batteries before the second half of the season.
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