A red surprise in Budapest?

For a team lacking power, we can say that Ferrari is currently having a very interesting start to the season: two podiums, a provisional fourth place among the constructors and two pole positions, achieved by Charles Leclerc.

A very efficient car in one lap.

Let’s talk about the poles: Charles Leclerc achieved this feat on his home turf in Monaco, where his Ferrari was terribly efficient before finishing in the wall at the Piscine chicane…

Even better, in Azerbaijan: on the Baku circuit, the Scuderia’s chances were not expected to be good, with the 2-kilometer straight…without engine power, we’re losing tenths by the handful. That didn’t stop Le Petit Prince from setting the fastest time, greatly helped by his teammate Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda who made mistakes.

All in all, the SF21 proves to be a good ride when it comes to pure performance in qualifying.

The Hungaroring turnstile has succeeded many times for Ferrari, with the last victory in Budapest dating back to the Vettel-Räikkönen double in 2017.

The effectiveness of the Ferrari coupled with the characteristics of the circuit provides an interesting indication of Maranello’s chances. The Hungarian circuit requires a good dose of aerodynamic downforce, which the red car does not lack. Therefore, top speed must be sacrificed: good news for the Rossa, whose power deficit amounts to nearly 25 horsepower compared to the competition. And still, it is much less than last year.

In addition to having a good car on slow tracks, the legendary Transalpine team has an enticing duo of drivers: a daring, opportunistic and devilishly talented Charles Leclerc in qualifying – as well as in races if the car allows it -; a Carlos Sainz perfectly in the mix when the opportunity arises. For example, at Monaco, another slow track, where Sainz could have secured pole position before Leclerc’s crash… a pretty second place in store the next day, I must say.

We could also mention the good overall performance of the Reds at Silverstone: we could have seen a double podium with Leclerc in second place or even as the winner, if only Ferrari hadn’t tripped over themselves in the pits… Leclerc resisted Lewis Hamilton’s devilish comeback for a long time, with an interesting race pace. As the Monegasque has said in the past, “points are earned on Sundays.”

Any improvement in running pace?

It is clear that the SF21 performs much better in qualifying than over the course of a race.

As described above, Charles Leclerc led the British Grand Prix from the first lap, following the dreaded clash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. Subsequently, on medium tires, Charles Leclerc held off Lewis Hamilton during the first stint. One could thus consider that the Ferrari managed to find a little boost during the Sunday exercise.

However, it is worth noting that while the pace in the race can be interesting, even very good, the tire factor comes into play: the Italian single-seater behaves rather well with soft and medium tires, but proves to be less effective on hard tires.

The equation is simple: the softer the tire, the less grip it has on the ground: it will therefore make the car go faster in a straight line, which is the current Achilles’ heel of the SF21.

For Silverstone, Pirelli had logically brought its hardest range, namely the C1, C2, and C3. At the Hungaroring, one step softer, with the C2, C3, and C4. This could somewhat better suit the Prancing Horse!

Be careful though not to forget Red Bull, also formidable on this type of track, unlike Mercedes which is struggling a bit more. Not to mention that McLaren may not be as comfortable either, could Scuderia Ferrari pull off a surprise?

Response on Sunday, August 1 for the race, and on Friday, July 30 during the first free practice sessions for initial answers… to follow on MotorsInside!