“I think the Ferraris are going to be very, very strong here”: Max Verstappen (Red Bull) had made that prediction and he was not wrong, at least regarding this Friday, where the Scuderia, with Charles Leclerc at the helm, dominated the day of free trials of the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Ferrari dominated in practice
On the Hungaroring circuit, near Budapest, the Monegasque Leclerc was the fastest of the day by leading the second session with a time of one minute18 seconds and 445 thousandths, which allowed him to have an advantage of 217 thousandths over the second, the British Lando Norris (McLaren).
Leclerc overtook his Ferrari teammate, Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr, who was third in the second session, having been quickest in the first session. But above all, what Leclerc achieved this Friday was to keep the Red Bulls at a distance. Verstappen, leader of the World Cup, was fourth this Friday.
“As we anticipated, it was a bit difficult here today… I think the Ferraris will be ahead of us this weekend and it will be difficult to beat them. We are going to work hard tonight and try to reduce that gap as much as possible.”declared Verstappen, who arrives in Hungary with a 63-point lead over Leclerc, second.
His teammate, the Mexican Sergio Pérez, who aspires to snatch second place overall in the World Cup from Leclerc on Sunday, posted a modest ninth fastest time in the second free practice session. “We have tried different things to feel comfortable with the car and I think we have a clear idea and we have understood well what is happening”, explained ‘Checo’ Pérez.
waiting for the rain
The German Sebastian Vettel (35 years old), who on Thursday announced that he will retire at the end of the current season, was seventh in the session, behind another veteran of the discipline, the Spanish Fernando Alonsowho turned 41 this Friday.
With a strong heat (more than 30 degrees Celsius this Friday), the conditions of these free sessions are, in principle, different from those that the drivers will find in the rest of the weekend. Rain is expected on Saturday at the time of the qualifying session.
Mercedes, meanwhile, had a Friday far from the best times, with George Russell just eighth and Lewis Hamilton eleventh.
“The car had problems today. It’s crazy how it oscillates between one circuit and another”, lamented Hamilton, who holds the record for wins at the Hungaroring (8 wins). Hamilton was second in the last race, in France, only beaten by Verstappen.
The third free practice sessions will take place on Saturday, before the qualifying session, which will determine the starting grid order, which will be especially important for Sunday, considering that the Hungaroring circuit is not conducive to overtaking.
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AFP
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