Isack Hadjar believes that Red Bull Racing has the potential to evolve over the remainder of the Formula 1 Hungarian GP weekend, but acknowledges that Ferrari set a high bar this Friday. The Frenchman highlighted that the conditions encountered at the Hungaroring made the teams’ work difficult and made data analysis more complex.
Read more F1: Red Bull focuses on development in search of victory in 2026
After finishing FP1 in fourth position and FP2 in sixth place, Hadjar assessed the day as challenging. According to him, the changes made to the car between sessions coincided with a significant alteration in track conditions, especially due to the increased wind intensity.
The driver stated that the team was satisfied with the car’s behavior in FP1. Furthermore, he emphasized that the pace shown in long stints was one of the positive points of Friday, indicating that Racing Bulls has a competitive base to work with.
“It was a complicated day. Conditions were difficult for the car, particularly in FP2, when the wind increased significantly,” said the Frenchman.
Hadjar explained that the modifications made after FP1 made direct comparison between the two sessions difficult: “The car we had in FP1 was good, and the pace in long stints was there, but after we made changes for FP2, conditions worsened, which made it difficult to get an accurate reading of the data,” he continued.
Read more F1: Hungaroring renames corners with tributes to Hamilton, Senna and Piquet
Despite the challenges, the driver believes the team knows exactly where it needs to improve. However, he admitted that Ferrari showed superior performance at the Hungaroring and that it will be necessary to find lap time to reduce the gap.
“The car is there, but the Ferraris are very strong on this track, so we have some time to find overnight. We have a good idea of where we can improve and hope to make some changes to take a step forward tomorrow,” he added.
With a balanced assessment, Hadjar made it clear that Red Bull is still in contention for important positions this weekend. The team’s expectation is to transform the knowledge gained this Friday into concrete gains in FP3 and the qualifying session for the Hungarian GP.
Read more F1: Antonelli talks about his father’s ‘fun threat’ to avoid track limits infringement
