The result of qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix did not reflect the true potential of the Scuderia Ferrari SF21. On paper, at a track that should have suited the characteristics of the SF21, Charles Leclerc qualified seventh, while Carlos Sainz’s sessions ended prematurely due to an off in Q2.
Down to the nearest thousandth. As has been the case already this season, the performance of the cars in the mid-field is very close. As an example, if Charles had gone just 75 thousandths faster than his best Q3 time of 1’16”496, he would have been fourth.
Laurent Mekies, Racing Director
“There’s no point denying that it’s disappointing that today’s result did not live up to our expectations. Given the times in Q3, we could have reasonably aspired to a place on the second row, but when the gaps are so small, just the slightest thing is enough to gain or lose several places. Sometimes that has worked in our favour, but not this afternoon. On top of that, we are paying a high price for Carlos not making it out of Q2, because it was clear that he also had the potential to fight for fourth place. Now we are concentrating on preparing for the race, which will be a tough test for the drivers and the cars, especially because of the expected high temperatures. Yesterday, our long run performance wasn’t bad, but we know how difficult it is to make up places on this track. Strategy and tyre management will be the key factors.” – the Racing Director explained, as reported by the Maranello team’s official website.
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