Racing Bulls concluded Friday’s Formula 1 Hungarian GP, believing they can put both their cars into Q3. After a more complicated start than expected, the team managed to evolve throughout the day and left the circuit with a positive outlook for the rest of the weekend.
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Team principal Alan Permane admitted that the performance in FP1 was below what had been seen in recent rounds. According to him, the car showed difficult behavior in the initial session, which forced engineers to make more changes than usual before FP2.
“Today wasn’t as straightforward for us compared to recent races. The car was quite tricky in FP1, and we made more changes than we usually do between sessions, but we managed to sort that out for FP2,” Permane stated.
The director highlighted that the Hungaroring demands a balanced car in medium-speed corners, in addition to good traction in the final sector. He also revealed that a change made by Liam Lawson in his last attempt on soft tires brought positive results, improving the car’s rear behavior.
“It’s hard to know exactly where we are in terms of performance, but it seems we are in a reasonable position and we will refine some details in FP3,” concluded the Racing Bulls boss.
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Lawson finished the day tenth in FP1 and seventh in FP2, showing confidence for the qualifying session. The New Zealander praised the car’s speed but emphasized that the Hungaroring remains one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar when it comes to putting together a perfect lap.
“I’m feeling good after this Friday in Budapest. The car seems quite fast, but it’s a very challenging track, so it can be difficult to put all the sectors together in a single lap. We will work overnight to make the necessary adjustments and give ourselves the best possible chance of reaching Q3,” he added.
Arvid Lindblad, ninth in FP1 and tenth in FP2, also believes in a strong result. The young driver stated that there are still areas to improve, but highlighted that the team has a clear direction for Saturday: “We expected Audi to be a step ahead this weekend, as this circuit suits their car well. Still, we have been competitive here before, and if we execute everything correctly in qualifying, I believe Q3 is definitely within our reach,” he concluded.
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