One of the key elements for producing a good performance at the Hungaroring is the car’s ability to generate a high vertical load. For this reason, the teams prefer a heavier downforce configuration and sacrifice top speed. The Speed graph gives us the opportunity to notice how Ferrari accumulates a significant delay in T1, due to Charles’s difficulty in activating the compounds. While in the second sector the capital performance of the Mercedes stands out.
Hamilton manages to mark the difference in turns 5 and 9 even compared to Verstappen, who in this section of the track is even slower than the Ferrari driver. The “long wheel base” philosophy of the Black Arrow, especially in the fifth fold of the Hungarian track, helps Mercedes bring so much speed on the road. This is due to the great stability in wide radius corners provided by this car.
The transmission graph helps us understand the characteristics of these three cars. Starting with Ferrari, let’s see how Charles Leclerc manages to shift into higher gears earlier than Verstappen and Hamilton. This demonstrates the excellent traction qualities of the SF21. In this regard, praise must be made to the team from Maranello, capable of significantly raising the potential of the rear end despite the not exactly exceptional chassis of the SF1000.
As a demonstration of the excellent form shown by Mercedes this weekend, it should be noted that Lewis is the only driver of the three capable of taking turn 5 in fifth gear. This translates into a higher travel speed as we can verify from the Speed graph. It is also interesting to see how Charles Leclerc tackles Turn 8 with a lower gear. The Monegasque sacrifices his speed to better prepare for entry at 9 and consequently enjoy a speed higher. A choice that also allows him to have a few more km / h even in the straight that leads to 10. That said, the number 44 is the car that best interprets this portion of the track, with Verstappen accumulating a gap amount behind the British driver.
The strength of Mercedes in qualifying is confirmed again by the graph relating to the use of the accelerator: in turns 4, 5, 8 and 9 he is able to push his car to a higher speed.
In the latest analysis there is an observation on the driving style of Hamilton, who chooses to sacrifice turn 8 slightly to then be the quickest of the three in turn 9, speed advantage that he maintains in the straight leading to 10.
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