Scuderia Ferrari German driver Sebastian Vettel confirmed that the Maranello team showed a “much better” performance in Hungary with its aerodynamic update package despite a significant gap to the pacesetting Mercedes duo.
Sebastian Vettel and team mate Charles Leclerc qualified fifth and sixth at the Hungaroring as both SF1000s reached Q3 for the first time in three attempts this season.
Seb admitted that Hungary’s lack of straights relative to the Red Bull Ring, which hosted the Austrian and Styrian Grands Prix that started the much-delayed 2020 campaign, had played in the team’s favour and allowed it to show improved form relative to Red Bull and McLaren.
However polesitter Lewis Hamilton’s fastest time was still 1.3s clear of Sebastian Vettel’s best lap.
The Ferraris are the leading cars starting on the soft tyres, with both Mercedes and Racing Point drivers ahead managing to progress to Q3 using the medium tyres.
Ferrari didn’t get a proper read on the update package that was introduced for the Styrian GP because of the rain on Saturday and the double retirement after a first lap collision caused by Leclerc’s lunge on Vettel at Turn 3.
“I think it is much better than the previous weekend. For the first time we have both cars in Q3, so we know that Austria didn’t really suit us and we lost a lot of time in the straights, and here there are a lot more corners to make up for it. The car felt better balanced as well, so we are much closer compared to the people around us, let’s say Racing Point, Red Bull and even McLaren, so that is positive. We need to make sure we keep that up, and now all that matters is to prepare for the race tomorrow. We start on the soft, people ahead of us are on the medium, people behind us on the soft again, so it is a lot of work for us tomorrow, and we will see what we can do.” – Sebastian Vettel concluded.
