A beautiful Ferrari
On Thursday, in interviews, Charles Leclerc had seemed very cautious, noting how minimal variations could lead to large oscillations in the car. Starting from this axiom, never as valid as in 2026, the Monegasque did not want to overcommit on the prospects of the Ferrari in Hungary, emphasizing the importance of excellent execution. And so Frederic Vasseur had also played the firefighter already after the Belgian race.
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But this Friday cannot bring optimism to the Ferrari team and fans, with Lewis Hamilton finishing ahead of everyone in 1’18.729 and Charles Leclerc finishing second in 1’18.877. And beyond the one-two, there’s the half-second inflicted on the first McLaren (Norris, third), almost seven tenths on Verstappen, and nine on the first Mercedes (Russell’s).
Even the long runs have given good feedback, even if with closer distances.
Vasseur: “Today went well”
The words of Frederic Vasseur – Ferrari team principal – at the end of FP2 in Budapest are obviously aimed at calm, and it couldn’t have been otherwise.
“We are not aiming for the best Friday, but for the best Sunday,” he told journalists who asked him if the Hungaroring was the best Friday of the season.
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Vasseur did not hide his satisfaction, however: “Today went quite well, the set-up is good, the updates are working. But we are still far from qualifying. This means we need to continue fine-tuning the car, extracting performance in every sector, and doing an even better job. But so far, everything is fine”.
The Ferrari manager then continued: “The last race before the break is important because it remains imprinted in the mind for three or four weeks. But in Budapest, you don’t earn more points than at Silverstone or Spa. We try to approach all races at the same level, it’s fundamental”.
Vasseur then concluded by reassuring about Leclerc’s FP1 problem (“Nothing serious”), while taking refuge behind a no comment when asked for explanations.
