Fred Vasseur believes the Hungarian Grand Prix could suit Ferrari and the SF-26 better than Spa-Francorchamps, but the team principal has warned that a more favourable circuit does not guarantee victory. Following consecutive podium finishes at Silverstone and Spa, Ferrari appear to be enjoying one of their strongest periods of the season, yet Fred Vasseur remains determined to control expectations and keep the team focused on execution.
The results secured across the British and Belgian Grands Prix have also underlined the progress made by the SF-26 following Ferrari’s latest developments. However, Fred Vasseur does not want the team to become distracted by growing championship speculation or by assumptions that Budapest will automatically provide an easier opportunity.
Fred Vasseur refuses to discuss Ferrari’s championship prospects
Fred Vasseur is maintaining the pragmatic approach that has defined his reaction to Ferrari’s recent improvement. Despite the team collecting major results at two circuits where it expected to struggle, the Frenchman does not want to discuss the World Championship and has urged everyone around Ferrari to keep their feet firmly on the ground.
“I don’t want to dream,” Fred Vasseur said. “It is important to focus on the results, so let’s immediately think about the next race.”
His position remains consistent with the caution Ferrari displayed before Spa, when questions were already being asked about whether the team were deliberately playing down their championship ambitions or genuinely believed Mercedes still held the advantage.
Fred Vasseur recalled that Ferrari had approached the consecutive races at Silverstone and Spa with much more modest expectations. Both circuits appeared capable of exposing areas in which the SF-26 remained vulnerable, particularly through their power-sensitive sections.
“When we arrived at Silverstone and Spa, we expected two difficult weekends,” he explained. “We certainly did not expect to be able to fight for victory, considering the characteristics of the circuits and our technical situation.”
Those predictions were partially confirmed by the competitive order, although Ferrari’s final results were clearly better than anticipated. The team maximised its opportunities, fought at the front and demonstrated that the SF-26 could remain competitive even when the circuit layout did not appear particularly favourable.
“In the end, it went rather well,” Fred Vasseur continued. “We did an excellent job and managed to fight at the front.”
Charles Leclerc benefits from Virtual Safety Car timing at Spa
Charles Leclerc also finally received a small amount of good fortune during the Belgian Grand Prix. The timing of the Virtual Safety Car helped the Ferrari driver strategically, allowing him to strengthen his position during a race in which the Scuderia had initially expected to be on the defensive.
“Today Charles was a little fortunate with the Virtual Safety Car,” Fred Vasseur admitted. “After everything that happened in the past, this time it gave him something back. Overall, it was a good result for the entire team.”
The result reinforced the encouraging race performance Ferrari produced despite the demanding energy-management and MGU-K challenge at Spa. Charles Leclerc had also entered the weekend with measured expectations, explaining in advance why Ferrari expected Spa-Francorchamps to be a difficult test for the SF-26.
Fred Vasseur calls Lewis Hamilton’s penalty severe
Another major post-race topic was the penalty given to Lewis Hamilton following his contact during the opening stages of the race. The Ferrari driver received a five-second sanction for the incident with George Russell, although Fred Vasseur believed the punishment was harsh.
“It was certainly a severe penalty,” the Ferrari team principal said. “There were several incidents on the first lap and, in that situation, I think George Russell was already moving towards the left, so the contact was fairly inevitable. I don’t want to comment on the decision. It happened, and that is all.”
Fred Vasseur offered a different assessment of the later incident involving Lewis Hamilton in the pit lane. On that occasion, he placed responsibility firmly on Ferrari and cleared the seven-time World Champion of any wrongdoing.
“That second situation was a team error,” Fred Vasseur explained. “The light was green, and that means Lewis had no responsibility. His position was correct. It was our mistake.”
The admission reflects the team principal’s determination to distinguish between driver errors and operational failures. It also supports his wider message that Ferrari must improve every part of its weekend execution rather than relying only on the underlying pace of the SF-26.
Mercedes remain ahead, but Ferrari can still fight
In terms of absolute performance, Fred Vasseur continues to regard Mercedes as the benchmark. Ferrari exceeded its own expectations at both Silverstone and Spa, but the team principal acknowledged that Mercedes still possessed a small pace advantage.
“Our predictions certainly did not say that we would be eight seconds slower,” Fred Vasseur said. “We thought we would lose around eight tenths on the straights and would therefore be behind Mercedes. It was a similar situation at Silverstone. The margin was not enormous, but they had something more.”
Although that deficit remains, its relatively limited size means Ferrari can still challenge when it executes the race effectively. Starts, tyre strategy, pit-stop timing and changing circumstances can all compensate for a modest performance disadvantage.
“Even if they are slightly faster, we can still fight with them,” Fred Vasseur added. “A good strategy, a good start and some favourable circumstances can make the difference, just as they did at Silverstone.”
Ferrari’s ability to remain competitive on less suitable circuits is therefore a positive sign, but Fred Vasseur does not believe it changes the fundamental need to maximise every opportunity. The team cannot afford avoidable penalties, operational mistakes or poor qualifying positions if Mercedes continue to hold a small advantage in outright speed.
Fred Vasseur expects Hungary to favour Ferrari more than Spa
Looking ahead to the Hungaroring, Fred Vasseur confirmed that the circuit should, at least theoretically, be more compatible with the characteristics of the SF-26. Budapest’s technical layout places less emphasis on long straights than Spa, potentially reducing the effect of one of Ferrari’s most visible weaknesses from the Belgian weekend.
“The next circuit, on paper, looks slightly more favourable for us,” Fred Vasseur said. “But that absolutely does not mean we will win.”
For the Ferrari team principal, execution will once again determine whether the Scuderia can convert a promising technical situation into a strong result. A circuit that appears favourable before the weekend can quickly become difficult if the team fails to optimise the car, qualify near the front or manage the race cleanly.
“We will have to do an excellent job and arrive completely focused, without thinking it will be easy, because it will not be,” he warned. “We must try to work with the same level of quality that we showed over the last two weeks, and, if possible, do even better.”
Ferrari’s immediate priority is a clean weekend in Budapest
Fred Vasseur is also refusing to look too far into the future. He does not want to discuss the championship, place excessive expectations on future races or become distracted by speculation surrounding Ferrari’s anticipated engine upgrade. His immediate objective is the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“Before thinking about what will come afterwards, let’s think about Budapest, which on paper is a much more concrete target,” Fred Vasseur said. “Let’s try to put both cars in a good position from qualifying so that we can have a clean race, without mistakes, with good execution and without penalties.”
The emphasis on qualifying is especially relevant at the Hungaroring, where track position can be extremely valuable. Placing both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton near the front would give Ferrari greater strategic flexibility and reduce the need for either driver to take unnecessary risks while attempting to recover positions.
Mercedes’ Belgian Grand Prix weekend also provided an example of how easily a promising result can disappear, even when a team has a highly competitive car. Fred Vasseur pointed to George Russell’s race as evidence that outright speed alone does not always determine the final outcome.
“The fastest car does not necessarily win every time,” he said. “You only have to look at Mercedes this weekend. George Russell had an excellent car, but in the end he did not even score points.”
For that reason, Fred Vasseur sees no need to change Ferrari’s current philosophy. The team must avoid either overestimating or underestimating its position and continue concentrating on the quality of its own work.
“We must not overestimate the situation in either direction,” Fred Vasseur concluded. “We should think only about ourselves and continue doing high-quality work, just as we have done over the last two weeks.”
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