There was a blend of cautious optimism and frustration in the Ferrari camp after Friday’s practice sessions at the Hungarian Grand Prix, as Charles Leclerc expressed satisfaction with his early pace, while Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton lamented an unusually difficult start to the weekend.
Leclerc finished both FP1 and FP2 third fastest behind the unassailable McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who once again proved untouchable over a single lap.
Despite his solid standing, Leclerc acknowledged that the Woking outfit may be simply out of reach for the rest of the field this weekend in Budapest.
“For now it looks like it’s our position, and realistically I think it’s going to be very tough to go and beat the McLarens tomorrow – they seem to be a step forward, but never say never,” said Leclerc.
Ferrari Positive, but McLaren Still the Benchmark
Leclerc’s podium finish at Spa appears to have given Ferrari some momentum heading into this weekend, and the Monegasque driver was upbeat about the performance of the SF-25 around the tight and twisty Hungaroring.
“The feeling with the car has been pretty positive so far. We’ve got to do some steps, more in the right direction for tomorrow, but for now the feeling is good,” he said.
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When asked if Ferrari held an edge over its closest rivals, Leclerc remained cautious about the pecking order shifting overnight.
“For now we are, but we can never rule them out,” he said. “It’s always very variable from Friday to Saturday, so I think we’ll have to see tomorrow when we come to the track and see with the new conditions whether the pecking order is the same.”
With McLaren’s continued dominance at the front, Ferrari may find themselves in a weekend-long battle to simply be best of the rest.
Hamilton Disappointed with “Inconsistent” SF-25
In stark contrast to Leclerc’s steady form, Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult Friday, finishing P5 in FP1 and slipping to P6 in FP2. The seven-time World Champion clearly sounded frustrated as he described his car’s unpredictable behavior.
“Today was not a good day for me, a big, big struggle with the balance of the car and a lot different to the previous years I’ve been here,” the seven-time world champion admitted.
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“We tried two different things, we tried rectifying some of the balance problems we had in FP1. We changed the car for FP2 and it’s just inconsistent, very, very inconsistent balance from corner to corner, so you can’t say it’s just understeer, you can’t just say it’s oversteer.
“It’s just far from being on rails and very out of balance. But I think it’s probably something to do with maybe tyre temperatures or something, so we’re going to try to figure that out for tomorrow.”
Asked whether a second-row start in Saturday’s qualifying was a realistic target, Hamilton was honest in his assessment – pointing to Leclerc’s form as an indicator of where Mercedes currently stand.
“I mean, Charles has been quick today – he’s been generally happy with the car. For me I’m quite far off, so I highly doubt it.”
Ahead of Saturday’s all-important running, Leclerc and Hamilton appear to be heading in very different directions – one fighting to maintain his place behind the McLarens, the other searching for answers in a car he simply can’t tame.
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