Ferrari fell short of its aspirations after a contentious week at the Hungaroring, where mistakes narrowly dictated a fourth‑place finish for the team.
Dominant practice turns to disappointment
Friday’s sessions painted a hopeful picture: the Scuderia posted the fastest laps in the first practice and secured second and third grid spots, positioning them for a rare 1‑2 finish. That performance, however, vanished when the drivers fell to fifth and later fifth on race day.
Grid penalties and starting order set the tone
Lewis Hamilton began fifth on account of a grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri, while Charles Leclerc opened from second. The fine gap between Hamilton and the pole‑position-finisher, McLaren’s Lando Norris, was only 0.012 seconds.
Pit‑stop timing costs crucial positions
Both Ferraris ran on soft tyres for the initial stint, a strategy that could have handed them a race‑day advantage. But the drivers struggled to keep their lead past the first set of pit stops. Hamilton exited his first stop behind Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, and his subsequent pit‑lane exit placed him immediately behind Isack Hadjar. Late‑virtual safety‑car changes forced him into a risky stop that ended in a five‑second penalty for speeding—an error that shattered any chance of catching Max Verstappen or Kimi Antonelli.
Driver errors compound execution failures
Frederic Vasseur blamed “too many mistakes” for the outcome. He cited problems at the start, the timing of tyre changes, and the inability to overtake on the track as key setbacks. Hamilton’s attempt to compensate for lost time by pushing his pace during the pit‑lane release backfired, producing a series of small but decisive time losses.
Analysis and outlook for the weekend
Vasseur felt the team’s pure pace was valid, noting “the execution was very poor.” He indicated that a stronger start could have changed the narrative entirely, turning the fight for the top of the track into a different scenario. The team will need to sharpen its lap‑by‑lap execution if it wishes to translate its practice superiority into podium results.
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