The Friday Illusion
Ferrari arrived at the Hungarian Grand Prix hopeful of being able to excel, given the layout of the Hungaroring track which – on paper – should have favored the SF-26 chassis.
But from paper to track in 2026 there are always surprises – as Ferrari happily learned in Barcelona and Silverstone and sadly in Monte Carlo.
And Budapest aligns with Monaco for disappointment, as the two reds of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth.
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“When you are first and second on Friday you expect much more”, confessed team principal Frederic Vasseur at the end of the race, who after the first day on track at the Hungaroring had as usual played down expectations to avoid putting pressure on the team.
Leclerc’s Explanation
“There are question marks,” admitted Sky Sport honestly Charles Leclerc: “I think it’s very strange that on two tracks where we expected to struggle – Silverstone and Spa – we got a first and a second place, while on others like this one…”
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Leclerc then explained the scenarios that had been outlined at the factory: “We expected a very strong Mercedes, a very strong McLaren, but we also believed this track would be more suited to our car and it wasn’t. On Friday I think Mercedes and Red Bull ran with the engines quite low and by Saturday we already understood we would struggle more. We need to understand why things happen that are not in line with our expectations.”
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