Ferrari ended Friday at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix with highly encouraging signs, as the SF-26 proved competitive, well balanced and particularly effective over a single lap. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were both satisfied with the progress made at the Hungaroring, although the team’s race pace remains less conclusive ahead of qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The two practice sessions presented the image of a Ferrari capable of operating at a high performance level, particularly during qualifying simulations. That is especially significant at the Hungaroring, where overtaking is difficult and starting position can have a decisive influence on the outcome of the race.
Charles Leclerc immediately appeared comfortable behind the wheel, while Lewis Hamilton highlighted the improvements achieved as Friday progressed. Ferrari’s encouraging start was also consistent with the SF-26’s expected strength through the Hungaroring’s low-speed corners.
However, as Frédéric Vasseur stressed, Friday’s indications represent only a starting point. Ferrari must now convert the potential seen on the circuit into a result when the lap times and championship points truly matter. The comments from the team’s leading figures reflected that cautious approach.
Ferrari Hungarian GP practice: Hamilton, Leclerc and Vasseur react
“Overall, it was a positive day. The conditions were quite challenging, with the wind making things a little more complicated and the track being fairly bumpy in some places,” Lewis Hamilton said after the opening two practice sessions.
“The car behaved better in the second session and we made good progress between the two sessions, although there are still a few areas in which we need to improve. We will analyse all the data, continue working on the balance of the car and hopefully find a little more performance ahead of Saturday.”
Charles Leclerc also underlined Ferrari’s competitiveness without allowing the team’s strong Friday performance to reduce his level of attention.
“Our performance looks good and that is a positive aspect. The weekend is still long, so we need to remain focused and continue working hard to make sure we are still ahead on Saturday,” the Monegasque driver explained.
“I expect qualifying to be very closely contested. I do not believe the advantage we saw over our rivals today will be the same tomorrow, so we will have to do a perfect job. If we can maintain the same feeling behind the wheel, I am confident that we can have a good qualifying session.”
Charles Leclerc’s caution reflected his earlier warning that Ferrari could not simply assume the Hungaroring would suit the SF-26, despite the circuit appearing more favourable on paper.
Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur adopted a similarly measured position.
“We did a good job, but what matters is not having the best Friday, but the best Sunday! It went well, the balance of the cars was good and the upgrades are working well, but qualifying is still a long way off,” he said.
“That means we have to keep working to improve the car’s set-up by fine-tuning the parameters, extracting the maximum performance everywhere and doing even better tomorrow. But for now, everything is fine.”
Ferrari’s positive evaluation also included the latest developments introduced for Budapest, including the upgraded ‘Macarena’ rear wing fitted to the SF-26.
Frédéric Vasseur then urged the team not to assign any additional sporting importance to the final race before Formula 1’s summer break.
“It is certain that the race before the break is important because it is the one that remains in your memory during the three or four weeks away,” the French manager explained.
“On the other hand, you do not score any more points in Budapest than you do at Silverstone or Spa. We try to give the same importance to every race, so it is an important race.”
Ferrari highly competitive over one lap at the Hungaroring
One particularly clear conclusion emerges from Ferrari’s work across the two Friday sessions: the team established most of its advantage through its single-lap performance.
The SF-26 appeared immediately effective at bringing its tyres up to temperature quickly and then keeping them inside the ideal operating window during the most delicate stages of the lap.
This characteristic is enormously important at the Hungaroring. The C5 compound, the softest tyre in Pirelli’s range, tends to suffer during the closing stages of the lap, when the long third sector places considerable stress on the rear tyres.
Reaching the final corners after tyre degradation has already begun can lead to a loss of mechanical grip and stability at precisely the point where the driver requires maximum traction.
Ferrari appears to have found a particularly effective compromise. The set-up provides a precise front end through the rapid changes of direction in the middle sector without making the car excessively aggressive.
That allows Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to protect the rear axle and limit overheating of the rear tyres. This technical balance is probably the main reason behind the excellent level of competitiveness displayed by Ferrari throughout Friday.
Ferrari race pace still leaves unanswered questions
While the qualifying simulations produced encouraging indications, Ferrari’s race simulations provided far fewer certainties.
Traffic during the longer runs had a significant effect on the lap times, making it difficult to distinguish the true potential of the different cars. As a result, the competitive order over a race distance remains less clearly defined than the single-lap classification.
Ferrari nevertheless showed relatively limited tyre degradation, which is a positive sign ahead of Sunday. The less convincing element was the SF-26’s average speed across the longer stints, where there appeared to be a small margin to recover compared with Mercedes, particularly the car driven by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The Brackley team appeared less competitive in the search for outright performance over one lap, but more consistent as fuel loads increased and tyre management became more important. The contrasting strengths of the two cars underline why the Ferrari and Mercedes pace comparison at the Hungaroring remains difficult to judge after Friday alone.
Why Ferrari must combine optimism with caution
The uncertainty over the longer runs explains why Ferrari’s optimism must remain accompanied by caution. The Hungaroring surface will continue to evolve as more rubber is deposited, while temperatures are expected to rise as the weekend progresses.
Those changes could significantly alter tyre behaviour between qualifying and the race. The latest Hungarian Grand Prix weather forecast also increases the importance of understanding how the tyres will respond under changing track and ambient conditions.
Ferrari is beginning from a highly convincing technical foundation, probably the best seen during the most recent rounds, but the team will have to continue refining the balance to adapt the SF-26 to a circuit whose characteristics will change with every passing lap.
Friday therefore delivered a clear message. Ferrari appears to possess all the necessary ingredients to fight for pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but challenging for victory will require further confirmation of its race pace. On that front, the comparison with Mercedes and the other leading rivals remains far from settled.
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