Ferrari showed strength in the qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix of Formula 1, but left the session with mixed feelings. Charles Leclerc secured second place on the starting grid, while Lewis Hamilton saw a pole position slip away and was penalized, dropping to fifth.
The performance underscored the competitiveness displayed by the Italian team throughout the weekend. Despite the setbacks faced by their drivers, Ferrari believes it still has the capability to fight for top positions in Sunday’s race.
Leclerc emphasized that his main objective was to extract the maximum from the car in a session marked by changing conditions. The Monegasque pointed to wind shifts as one of the factors that complicated finding grip on different parts of the circuit.
“My qualifying session was about maximizing the result, and I believe I managed to do that today. There was quite a lot of change in wind direction across the sessions, so it was tricky to find grip in some parts of the track,” he said.
The Monegasque driver also showed caution when assessing pace for the race. According to him, although the longer stints were positive, the scenario should be quite different from what was seen before: “Our pace on long straight sections looked good so far, but it’s hard to trust the balance of power we saw yesterday, as everyone seems to have moved forward overnight. I expect a much more balanced race tomorrow,” he added.
Hamilton, for his part, lamented the outcome of the qualifying session. The seven-time champion said he felt comfortable in the car from the start of the activities and believes that pole position was a real possibility, but was ultimately hampered by a lack of grip in his final attempt in Q3 and by the three-position grid penalty.
“I always enjoy racing on this track and felt comfortable in the car throughout the weekend, so today’s result is frustrating. Pole seemed within reach, but I lacked the necessary grip on my last lap in Q3, and the three-position penalty, caused by a communication issue, left me starting from an less-than-ideal position,” he said after dropping from P2 to P5 due to the penalty.
Ferrari chief Frederic Vasseur highlighted that the most positive aspect on Saturday was the level of competitiveness shown by the team. The boss 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 keeps his focus on the race: “Charles starts on the front row and Lewis remains close enough to fight. Our objective remains the same: to maximize every opportunity and achieve the best possible result,” he added.
