Ferrari concluded the Hungarian Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc in fourth position and Lewis Hamilton in fifth, a result falling short of pre-race expectations. The Scuderia had arrived at the Hungaroring widely anticipated to contend for victory. This was largely due to the SF-26 chassis’s cornering strengths, which were expected to suit the circuit’s low power sensitivity.
Despite strong pace shown during Friday practice sessions, where Leclerc topped FP1 and Hamilton led FP2, the team’s weekend unravelled. Lando Norris secured pole position for McLaren, narrowly beating Hamilton by 0.012 seconds. Hamilton subsequently received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying, dropping him from second to fifth on the starting grid.
Leclerc, who qualified third, started the race from second due to Hamilton’s penalty. However, his victory challenge effectively ended at the start. Leclerc experienced significant wheelspin from the dirty side of the grid while on used Soft tyres, causing him to drop from second to fifth before Turn 1.
Hamilton, starting fifth on fresh Soft tyres, made a cleaner launch but was unable to find a way past Oscar Piastri or Max Verstappen in the opening stages. This left both Ferrari cars trapped behind rivals on the Hungaroring, a circuit notoriously difficult for overtaking.
McLaren’s Lando Norris controlled the race from the front, ultimately securing the victory. Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull, with Mercedes driver and championship leader Kimi Antonelli completing the podium in third. Antonelli had started seventh after a grid penalty for a yellow flag infringement.
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged the team’s disappointing performance. He stated that the problems began during qualifying and escalated with Leclerc’s loss of positions at the start. Vasseur admitted the race did not go well, citing too many issues and mistakes.
“The race did not go well for us, with too many issues and mistakes, even if the first of those was made yesterday in qualifying. At the start Charles dropped from P2 to P5 after Turn 1, because he had too much wheelspin and we found ourselves with both cars not only behind Piastri but also behind Verstappen.”
Vasseur also highlighted inconsistent pace and imperfect pit stops as contributing factors to the outcome. He noted that attempting a long stint, similar to Verstappen’s strategy, proved ambitious for Ferrari. Pirelli’s pre-race simulations had indicated a close balance between one-stop and two-stop strategies, adding to the tactical complexity.
Ferrari had introduced a revised SF-26 rear wing for the Hungarian Grand Prix, aiming for increased downforce and improved tyre management. However, the SF-26 has not consistently performed optimally on Pirelli’s softest compounds, which were in use at the Hungaroring.
Despite the missed opportunity for victory, Ferrari secured 22 points from the event. Kimi Antonelli extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 50 points over Lewis Hamilton, who now sits second. Leclerc is currently fourth in the standings.
