Frederic Vasseur hopes for a pole position at the Hungarian GP, but warns the wind factor will be crucial at the Hungaroring track
Fred Vasseur’s expectations for the Hungarian Grand Prix are quite high. In a lengthy interview with Motorsport, the Ferrari Team Principal hopes for a pole position in the Budapest weekend. However, securing that coveted first position might not be so easy.
“We perform better in slow corners and 90-degree turns than in high-speed corners. At least that’s what we’ve seen so far,” explains the Frenchman to the Italian version of the well-known sports website – “We can hope for a pole position. I believe the key factor could be the wind. But Spa Francorchamps could also be a track that suits the characteristics of our car,” Fred Vasseur highlights. “There’s the Bus Stop chicane, the Source, and there are only two high-speed corners.” – he pointed out.
The wind factor is crucial for the SF-23, and it may not be easy to manage on the track, especially at the Hungaroring track next weekend. When asked why it is a problem for Ferrari, Fred Vasseur explains that “the car is too sensitive when there is diagonal wind.”
On the other hand, if the wind is head-on, there is no problem. The Maranello team is, however, working to improve in this area.
Ferrari… Going with the wind
The problem was already encountered at the Silverstone circuit in the previous round of the championship: “There were strong gusts of wind, and on top of that, we hadn’t done the practice sessions on Friday, so we were a bit in the dark with the tires, and we were concerned about tire degradation,” the team principal continues.
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At the British Grand Prix, the wind factor added to a series of wrong strategies that affected the race of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, as admitted by Fred Vasseur in his interview for the Italian media:
“We opted for a medium-hard strategy, like McLaren did, while everyone else went for medium-soft. Additionally, we made the pit stop too early,” he continues, explaining that in that situation, they were in a battle with Russell and didn’t want to risk an undercut. The deployment of the Safety Car was the final blow. And we know how it ended for the Maranello team at the Silverstone circuit.
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