Ferrari seized the most favourable start in a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend in years, with the SF‑26 closing in on the leaders during the Hungaroring’s slippery Saturday practice.
Ferrari reaps practice gains
Charles Leclerc posted 0.148 seconds slower than Lewis Hamilton, yet the team already enjoys a half‑second lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris, signalling a strong weekday launch that could herald a better start to the season.
“It was a relatively strong day from the beginning. I felt quite good with the car and the performance seemed to be good straight away,” Leclerc said after Friday’s session, “from Friday to Saturday we see teams making a jump of performance. Normally we are on the back foot on Friday, so it’s a good thing that we have a good Friday.”
Ferrari’s team principal Fred Vasseur cautioned against over‑optimism, noting the SF‑26’s rear‑wing upgrade grants extra downforce for Hungaroring’s stop‑start layout. “So far so good, but it’s not on Friday that you are doing the pole, and even less that you win the race,” Vasseur advised. He also warned that “the tyre wear and overheating on Pirelli’s softest compound is exaggerating the gaps between cars … it’ll be another story tomorrow.”
Leclerc prepares for a tight qualifying day
Leclerc warned that Friday’s gaps may not persist into Saturday, stating, “We’ll have to do everything perfectly.” He added, “We still need to stay on it and work hard to get better for tomorrow.”
While the dominant Friday form was boosted by the updated downforce, the team must keep the car’s tyres operating within the ideal window. The rhythm‑laden Hungaroring sprint track makes it difficult to keep rubber alive across a full qualifying lap, something the Frenchman said would level the playing field across the grid.
Meanwhile, other crews struggled to extract lap times. Max Verstappen’s Red Bull lacked outright pace, and Mercedes faced a troublesome afternoon: George Russell battled rear‑balance issues, and Kimi Antonelli lost his place on the track during his simulation.
Leclerc’s remarks and Vasseur’s caution both emphasise that Saturday’s qualifying could shrink the performance advantage Ferrari tasted during Friday’s practice. As the teams brace for a tighter battle on the track, the day will test whether the SF‑26 can convert its early promise into a competitive race window.
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
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