Ferrari is in trouble. Another F1 weekend where, although things seemed different, the usual headaches eventually resurfaced. We’re referring to the difficulties in achieving the ideal setup, as the perfect (or almost perfect) compromise is always elusive. In the Hungarian FP3, the SF-24 showed some instability at the rear. Ferrari’s engineers tried to correct the situation by stiffening the anti-roll bars by one step. They did this on both axles, and theoretically, the rear of the Italian car seemed more stable.
However, examining the split times in the second sector of the Budapest track reveals a three-tenths gap to Lando Norris’s McLaren MCL38. This significant gap is not offset by the theoretical advantage Ferrari hopes to exploit the first sector. More suffering, considering that the excess rotation at mid-corner is still there. It doesn’t limit handling too much but undoubtedly doesn’t help the SF-24’s performance. It remains to be seen if the team decided to make further adjustments before qualifying.
Let’s take a detailed look at how things unfolded for the Ferrari drivers in qualifying at the Hungaroring circuit:
F1, Hungarian GP Q1: Ferrari Attentive, Not Overlooking Track Evolution
There is currently light rain on the track, let’s look at the weather conditions: air temperature is 24.3°C, asphalt temperature is 29.5°C. Humidity is 63%, with wind speed at 0.6 km/h blowing from the north. Everything is ready for the session to begin, just waiting for the green flag. Considering that reference plane temperatures have dropped drastically, it will be interesting to understand the differences in tire activation. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are in their cars, waiting for the go-ahead.
The tire choice falls on slicks. We’re talking about the red-marked Pirelli tires, offering extra grip. The Ferrari drivers leave the pit lane. The Ferrari pit wall states that the current track conditions are “perfect” for using the Soft tires. This is despite the fact that according to Meteo France, the rain might intensify in a few minutes. Carlos and Charles switch to push mode and start to push. In these cases, the car is usually loaded with enough fuel to cover at least 7-8 laps.
Carlos Sainz starts strong immediately while Leclerc struggles a bit more. The current competitive context is very difficult to manage, as the driver’s sensitivity is crucial to performance. After the first attempt, the Spaniard does a double cooling lap for the tires. On the contrary, the Monegasque does only one to try to set a time to easily pass the cut. Mission accomplished, although the lap is seven-tenths slower than his teammate’s. The grip of the Ferrari seems good overall, although Charles has not yet managed a clean lap to avoid risks.
Halfway through qualifying, there’s a twist. The “usual” Perez makes a fatal mistake. The Mexican enters turn 8 too fast, loses the rear of his RB20, and slides into the barriers. The crash isn’t very severe but sufficient to damage the Austrian car significantly. The race direction has to stop qualifying to remove the car and restore the barriers. Another blunder by Checo, who is now at serious risk if he doesn’t wake up, considering that Red Bull could bench him due to a contract clause.
After about ten minutes, the session restarts. Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari returns to the track with used Soft tires from the first set. His Maranello teammate follows. This seemed like a debatable choice, as DRS couldn’t be used and the track seemed slower. However, in the final lap available, times drastically improved. This time, the Italian team was smart to believe in it, unlike Mercedes, who didn’t fully believe in it with Russell, who didn’t make the cut with the young Brit.
F1, Hungarian GP Q2: Ferrari Passes the Cut Without Too Much Trouble
The second part of qualifying is about to start. The rain has stopped, and the track remains only damp. It’s getting serious because there are fewer cars, and performance will increase, as will the chance of making mistakes. Carlos Sainz is the first out, still on new Softs, and after bringing the tires up to temperature, he launches. The Spaniard’s handling seems good, despite some minor issues. After putting together the lap, he immediately returns to the pits and asks for an extra point of front load to further stabilize the aerodynamic platform.
Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc, with all the calm in the world, heads onto the track. His first attempt is quite good, despite the Ferrari continuing to show some instability at the rear in the faster corners. Additionally, in turns 1 and 2, the Monegasque goes wide and doesn’t exploit the potential of his SF-24 in the first sector. Charles Leclerc doesn’t seem very sharp. Back to Carlos Sainz, who tries again and significantly improves his time, placing a tenth behind Max Verstappen, who is currently in first place.
Further adjustments are made to the front wings of both Ferraris as the track continues to evolve. Brake engine settings, differential at mid-corner, and brake balance are in constant evolution. After a brief stop, the two Ferraris return to the track to avoid negative surprises. Charles Leclerc improves his time and is within the same tenth as his Maranello teammate. They pass the cut quite easily, moving to a Q3 that promises to be anything but simple.
F1, Hungarian GP Q3: Ferrari Shows Setup Limits
Here we are at the decisive moment. A context where the driver can make a big difference, especially considering that track conditions are continuously evolving. The Ferrari SF-24 is certainly not perfect but still capable of doing what it can. The moment of truth is approaching. Ferrari is not the favorite, but as previously mentioned, the goal was to “bother” the top teams or at least try, optimizing qualifying for tomorrow’s race. The two Ferrari cars take a few extra seconds before heading onto the track.
They both do so with red-marked Pirellis. The concentration is maximum. During the outlap, various suggestions arrive to give it their all. Good track position, push mode activated, and they’re off. Sainz starts poorly. He goes slightly wide in turn 1, which pushes him to overcompensate in the following corners. Overall, it’s not a great performance throughout the lap. The Spaniard knows it and immediately radios to report it. He asks for an immediate change to the front load because he feels the downforce is slightly unbalanced between the two axles.
Charles Leclerc does much better, placing fourth. Carlos Sainz wastes no time and, with a new set of Softs, returns to the track just as a few drops of rain start to fall again. The Spaniard shaves several tenths off his previous time, placing behind Verstappen. Charles Leclerc also returns to the track but with used tires. He barely completes four corners before the second red flag of the day appears due to Tsunoda. There are just over two minutes left, theoretically enough for one more lap. Ferrari tries again, sending both SF-24s onto the track.
Max Verstappen raises the white flag and doesn’t return to the track, heading to the garage as he doesn’t consider it feasible to improve his time. A somewhat desperate move, as the tires are used and the track is slower. Carlos Sainz doesn’t even manage to cross the finish line and returns to the pits, while Charles Leclerc aborts his attempt. In the end, nothing changes: a fourth and sixth place, with Sergio Perez and George Russell out of Q1, can’t be satisfying. Once again, we must highlight the fact that the aero-mechanical compromise chosen for the lap shows little competitiveness.
Source: FUnoanalisitecnica
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