F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Ferrari seeking confirmation in Hungary of SF90 improvements

Scuderia Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto hopes next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix will confirm the performance improvements displayed by its SF90 in recent races.

Since Barcelona, Ferrari has regularly implemented updates on its 2019 contender in a bid to chase down its Mercedes rival and improve its car's speed and balance in medium and slow corners, an area where the Silver Arrows squad's W10 has excelled.

The Italian outfit appears to have made some progress in recent races, but the slow and tortuous nature of Budapest's Hungaroring - where Ferrari will roll out more updates - should provide another indication of the SF90's performance relative to its Mercedes and Red Bull peers.

"It will be important to see if this race provides further confirmation that our car has improved on various types of track, said Binotto in the team's Hungarian GP preview.

"We will be able to count on the various elements we introduced recently, as well as some aerodynamic updates."

However, upgrades won't be the team's only focus in Hungary where the Scuderia will be keen to avoid the reliability issues that squandered its drivers' qualifying efforts in Germany.

"Budapest is a track where cooling is usually an important factor and where cars run in maximum downforce configuration," added Binotto.

"The tyres come under a lot of stress, because of the type of corners and that even applies over a single lap in qualifying.

"Of course, we are focusing on resolving our recent reliability problems to ensure they do not occur again."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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