At the end of qualifying in Budapest Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc did not show off their best smiles. Having confirmed himself in the top-3 is certainly not the worst of the results, but the ambitions were greater, and finding himself behind the surprising poleman George Russell did not please the Scuderia tandem.
Sainz, second, complained about a not perfect lap (“I have the feeling that in my last attempt I could have done better”) while Leclerc confirmed that with the cooler environmental conditions than yesterday he struggled to get the tires in the right window year.
This says a lot about what the goals of the box were, but the glass may not necessarily be half empty. Ferrari has everything to aim for success in the race, and in the balance of the two surprises of the day (Russell’s exploit and the technical problem that has relegated Max Verstappen to the fifth row) the Scuderia seems to have gained.
The first three qualified Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, poleman George Russell, Mercedes-AMG, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The impression is that the two F1-75s have been configured with the 70 laps scheduled for tomorrow in mind, with the track expected to be warmer and tire management more demanding.
The pace seen in yesterday’s long-runs completed by Sainz and Leclerc was decidedly more competitive than that of Mercedes, and with Verstappen called to recover, there will be everything to aim for that double that was called last Sunday in France by Mattia Binotto.
“Overall we are satisfied – said Laurent Mekies – because we have achieved a good team result that allows us to line up at the start tomorrow in a position to play our cards to bring home the best result”.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
If Ferrari had monopolized the front row, it would have been easier to plan the starting phases, given that the first corner of the Hungaroring has a history that is anything but reassuring for those who shoot behind opponents. But the second and third positions that Sainz and Leclerc will occupy at the start is still a good basis to hope to come out unscathed from the dreaded first lap.
The novelty, however glimpsed at Paul Ricard, is a Sainz in great shape. In France, Carlos’ performance was hidden from the start in the last row, but the time the Spaniard had printed in Q2 was very indicative of a very good feeling, even better than Leclerc’s.
Seven days later the confirmation arrived, and although it is understandable the disappointment for a pole that he felt his own, Carlos still confirmed himself in front of his teammate, which is not exactly a foregone conclusion.
“There are positive aspects – commented Sainz – the starting position for tomorrow is still good and I felt comfortable in the car all weekend, continuing to make progress in the right direction. I am confident that we will be able to confirm Friday’s pace also in the race and therefore we will start aiming for victory ”.
The only unknown factor is linked to the conditions of the track, that is to the temperature of the asphalt when the race starts. But for the opponents there is no reason to believe that the excellent results shown on Friday by the two ‘reds’ in the long-runs can be reduced by an asphalt that could be about ten degrees colder.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“We will analyze the data collected today because tomorrow we will probably find similar conditions in the Grand Prix – explained Mekies – and we are not yet completely satisfied with the work done so far. I expect a thrilling match, a fight that will involve three teams in which we want to be protagonists ”.
In the event of a good start, Russell will indeed have the opportunity to dictate the pace in the early stages, but Ferrari will still be able to play with two strikers and differentiate strategies at the first (and perhaps only) pit stop. This, of course, should Mercedes be confirmed as a formidable opponent, a hypothesis that would not have been credible on Friday evening but which in today’s light still appears unlikely but not impossible.
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