Ferrari Duo Peaks; Sainz Eyes McLaren Verstappen

Ferrari’s Sainz and Leclerc max out in qualifying, closely trailing behind McLaren and Verstappen.

Carlos Sainz secured an impressive fourth position in the qualifying rounds at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Spaniard managed to outpace Hamilton, positioning his Ferrari as the foremost of the remaining competitors, as both McLarens and Verstappen’s Red Bull appear to be in a league of their own.

This result is considered positive, given the unbeatable pace of the frontrunners.

“Yes, throughout the free practice sessions, it was evident that both McLarens and Verstappen were significantly faster than us. They have a three to four-tenths advantage over us, a trend we’ve observed for the past four weekends,” Sainz reflected.

“However, we must focus on the positives, notably that we surpassed the Mercedes and are the closest behind these three cars, which are currently much quicker.”

“It has been a very good weekend so far; personally, I delivered strong laps in Q1, Q2, and Q3. Therefore, I couldn’t ask for much more from this Saturday.”

At this stage in the season, he is consistently outperforming Leclerc.

“It’s always the same with Charles. There are races where he leads, and I accept that with dignity, knowing he is a very fast driver, but I also have moments where I excel, and lately, I’ve been performing at a high level.”

“There are times when he might be slightly quicker, but then there are others, like today, where I perform better. The great thing is, we are always within a tenth or two of each other, not four or five, which I believe makes us a strong driving duo.”

Tomorrow, temperatures are expected to rise, which Sainz believes could benefit Ferrari.

“Our car tends to perform better in the heat, but these are just theories. It could turn out to be an interesting race, although challenging to compete with those ahead of me.”

“In fact, during the race, it’s a matter of seeing how things unfold, as I don’t have three or four-tenths up my sleeve. No one does. Tomorrow, I hope something happens that could elevate us to the podium.”

The strategy is clear: start well, attempt to break into the top three, but over 70 laps, with a three to four-tenths disadvantage per lap, they end up over 20 seconds ahead. If nothing extraordinary occurs, my goal is to maintain fourth place.”

Charles Leclerc, starting sixth behind his teammate and Hamilton’s Mercedes F1, admits that a red flag in Q3 left him unable to improve.

“No, I had no new tyres left. Among the top teams, I was one of the only cars with just one set of new tyres entering Q3 because we didn’t manage our resources well enough in Q1, and we paid the price in Q3.”

“Still, the performance might have allowed for fifth place, but not much better. Fourth and fifth were the best we could achieve today.”

“It’s not the positions we enjoy, and I believe the team feels the same. We are working to regain what we’ve lost over the past few races. There’s been a positive update to the floor here, but it’s not sufficient, and we have a considerable amount of work ahead.”

Like Sainz, he anticipates being more competitive under tomorrow’s sunnier conditions.

“That’s where we expected to be yesterday after the warmer day, so it shouldn’t change much for us.”