Ferrari showed strength in the qualifying session for the Formula 1 Hungarian GP, but left the session with mixed feelings. Charles Leclerc secured second place on the starting grid, while Lewis Hamilton saw a chance for pole slip away and was also penalized, dropping to fifth position.
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The performance reinforced the competitiveness shown by the Italian team throughout the weekend. Despite the setbacks faced by its drivers, Ferrari believes it still has the conditions to fight for the top positions in Sunday’s race.
Leclerc highlighted that his main objective was to extract the maximum from the car in a session marked by variable conditions. The Monegasque pointed to changes in the wind as one of the factors that made it difficult to find grip in different sections of the circuit.
“My qualifying session was about maximizing the result, and I believe I managed to do that today. There was a lot of wind direction change throughout the sessions, so it was tricky to find grip in some parts of the track,” he stated.
The Monegasque driver also showed caution when analyzing the race pace. According to him, although the longer stints were positive, the scenario should be quite different from what was observed previously: “Our pace on long straights seemed good so far, but it’s hard to trust the pecking order we saw yesterday, as everyone seems to have taken a step forward overnight. I expect a much more balanced race tomorrow,” he added.
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Hamilton, in turn, lamented the outcome of the qualifying session. The seven-time champion stated that he felt comfortable in the car from the start of the activities and believed that pole position was a real possibility, but ended up being hampered by a lack of grip on his last attempt in Q3 and by a three-place grid penalty.
“I always enjoy racing on this track and felt comfortable in the car all weekend, so today’s result is frustrating. Pole seemed within our reach, but I didn’t have the necessary grip on my last lap in Q3, and the three-place penalty, caused by a communication issue, left me in a less than ideal starting position,” he said, after dropping from P2 to P5 due to the received penalty.
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur highlighted that the most positive aspect on Saturday was the level of competitiveness shown by the team. The manager recalled that Leclerc lost a lap in Q1 for exceeding track limits and also had to deal with yellow flags caused by Isack Hadjar, while Hamilton was penalized for impeding another competitor. Still, Vasseur remains focused on the race: “Charles starts on the front row and Lewis is still close enough to fight. Our goal remains the same: to maximize every opportunity and achieve the best possible result,” he concluded.
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