Sainz Celebrates Strong Friday Leclerc Minimizes Harm

Ferrari’s upgrades show promise in Hungary, with Sainz optimistic and Leclerc overcoming minor challenges.

Carlos Sainz recorded impressive times and felt comfortable in the SF-24, alongside significant groundwork conducted on the tyres this Friday in Hungary. The Ferrari driver is optimistic after the initial two hours of track time but remains cautious ahead of the qualifiers.

“Overall, we’ve had a positive Friday, which is always crucial here as it’s a particularly tricky circuit for setting up the car,” stated the Spanish driver, who elaborated on his testing schedule with the Pirelli tyres.

“Moreover, given the high temperatures, it was vital to see how the three compounds responded to the extreme heat of the track. We’ve gathered valuable information, and it seems we’re in a better position this weekend. However, it’s only Friday, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

Charles Leclerc was quick in the first session but suffered an accident in the latter part of the day. The Monegasque is pleased with the progress seen from the upgrades and hopes he hasn’t lost too much time.

“The car feels quite good so far, and we’ve had a steadier day compared to recent weekends. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but we seem to be doing well, just behind McLaren who appear very strong,” Leclerc noted before discussing his mishap.

“I went a bit wide at turn 4 and lost the car on the kerb, which fortunately didn’t cause too much damage, but enough to end my session. We will focus on recovering the mileage we missed during FP3 tomorrow.”

“I thought the damage would be more substantial. It wasn’t massive but was enough to stop the session, which is always an issue. I lost control when hitting the kerb, so it was my fault.”