Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur has stated that ‘everything went wrong’ for the Scuderia during the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, citing ‘too many mistakes’ throughout the race weekend. Despite showing strong pace in practice, Ferrari failed to convert its potential into a podium finish at the Hungaroring.
The team had demonstrated significant speed during Friday’s practice sessions, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton topping the timesheets. This performance suggested Ferrari’s SF-26 chassis was well-suited to the circuit’s tight and technical layout.
Qualifying saw Lewis Hamilton narrowly miss pole position by just 0.012 seconds to McLaren’s Lando Norris. Hamilton initially secured second on the grid, with Leclerc in third.
However, Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri during qualifying, dropping him to fifth on the starting grid. This penalty significantly hampered Ferrari’s prospects for the race.
At the race start, both Ferrari drivers began on soft tyres, a strategic choice aimed at gaining positions. Leclerc, starting from second, dropped to fifth on the opening lap, directly behind Hamilton.
The race was then marred by a series of operational and strategic missteps. Vasseur highlighted a poor start, Hamilton’s five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, and Max Verstappen overtaking Ferrari cars on track.
Vasseur also noted that the team lost approximately 0.2 to 0.3 seconds during each pit stop, contributing to a loss of track position. Suboptimally timed tyre changes often placed the Ferraris behind Red Bull-owned cars.
A controversial decision occurred late in the race when Ferrari opted to pit Hamilton under a Virtual Safety Car (VSC), triggered by Oscar Piastri’s gearbox failure. Hamilton was running second at the time.
This VSC pit stop allowed Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli, who stayed out, to gain positions. Hamilton rejoined in third but then ceded a place to Antonelli to avoid a potential penalty.
Hamilton himself expressed reservations about the VSC strategy, stating post-race that he ‘would never have stopped if it would have meant giving up track position’. He finished fourth on the road but the pit lane speeding penalty relegated him to fifth.
Leclerc ultimately finished fourth, with Hamilton in fifth. Lando Norris secured victory for McLaren, followed by Max Verstappen in second and Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes in third.
Vasseur conceded that the team’s ‘execution was very poor’ and that the pure pace of the SF-26 was likely better than demonstrated in previous rounds at Spa or Silverstone.
Despite the disappointing result, Ferrari did gain points on both Mercedes and McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship. Mercedes currently leads with 379 points, followed by Ferrari with 307 points.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Kimi Antonelli extended his lead to 50 points over Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli holds 219 points, with Hamilton on 169 points, and Charles Leclerc in fourth with 138 points.
