Ferrari experienced mixed results during the qualifying round for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc surprised everyone by driving his SF-25 to pole position — the first pole of the year for Scuderia. However, his teammate Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2. The British driver expressed deep disappointment to the media afterwards. Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur is seeking explanations for this dramatic dip in form.
“I’m useless,” a defeated Hamilton stated in Hungary. He even suggested that Ferrari should look for a new driver, as his current performance would be unworthy of the team. Team boss Fred Vasseur, who brought the seven-time world champion to Maranello this season, downplayed these comments. Speaking to the press in Hungary, he looked for practical reasons for his star driver’s lack of speed.
“We all know that the warm-up lap is crucial,” said the Frenchman. “If the tires wear out too much in the first few corners, you run the risk of losing grip at the end of the lap. Hamilton was only a few hundredths behind Leclerc at the start of Q2, but such a warm-up lap is always tricky. Of course, he’s frustrated – it ultimately came down to one lap in Q2. That’s just bad luck.”
Tyre Management
“We must learn from this,” Vasseur continued optimistically. “The result is okay, but we cannot rest on our laurels,” he referred to Carlos Sainz Jr‘s pole position. “In the race simulations, we were consistent and even comparable to McLaren. So let’s focus on ourselves, tyre management, and devising a good strategy. Then everything will be fine.”
According to Vasseur, tyre management was the key to Leclerc’s pole lap. “We have often struggled this year to get the tyres into the right window,” he explained. “In Q2 we were almost out – it was only a tenth difference. Eventually, Charles managed to bring the tyres to the right temperature. It’s all incredibly sensitive; the difference between first and tenth place is minimal. We were right on the limit with the tyres. It was a session with highs and lows, but in the end, we were stronger than expected,” he concluded.
