Taking turns for Ferrari drivers
Yesterday morning, Kimi Räikkönen represented the reds in second position on the leaderboard, while Sebastian Vettel was struggling with oversteering issues. During the afternoon session, the German closed the gap to slide just behind Daniel Ricciardo. Meanwhile, the Finn experienced an engine power loss issue.
The first day of testing on the Hungarian circuit ended with a few hitches on both sides of the garage, without alarming the Italian team. Kimi Räikkönen elevated his car to second place during the first practice session before experiencing an engine power issue, leaving him stranded on the track for a few moments during the second session. The Finn takes fourth place in FP2.
For his part, the current leader of the Championship was not very in tune with his car. He found himself a second behind his rivals – in sixth position – during the morning session. Sebastian Vettel, suffering from oversteer, even damaged his car by going wide on a curb. The German corrected the situation during the second session by setting the second-fastest time of the afternoon.
Sebastian Vettel => FP1: 6th (1:19.563) / FP2: 2nd (1:18.638)
Sebastian Vettel was not satisfied with the behavior of his car during the first practice session of the day. After the lunch break, the German managed to better tame his single-seater on the Hungarian track. The four-time World Champion reflects on his day: « This morning, I wasn’t satisfied. Fortunately, I started to find the right rhythm in the afternoon. I think we are not badly positioned, even if it’s complicated to translate a session. »
He continues: « I damaged the car (this morning) after going too wide on a curb. I had to go back to the garage, but in the end everything was fine. I was probably a bit too aggressive in the driving. We saw several cars go off today, especially at the exit of turns 4 and 11, which are demanding. »
Sebastian Vettel notes that the positions are tightening at the front: Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull seem very close. It should be interesting for tomorrow. We need to find the best settings and work on the tires and driving. But everything seems to be working, we should be in a better position tomorrow.
As a reminder, Ferrari has good memories on this circuit, as Sebastian Vettel took the victory in 2015.
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Kimi Räikkönen => FP1: 2nd (1:18.720) / FP2: 4th (1:18.755)
On the side of the 2007 World Champion, the trend reversed during the day. Ahead of his teammate in FP1—by setting the second-fastest time—the afternoon was more challenging with a power loss issue. However, for Kimi Räikkönen, it’s just a typical Friday workday.
He recounts his Friday: « We had a good start to the day. The afternoon was a bit more difficult and less linear. I had to come to a stop on the track because I lost control of the throttle for a minute. The latter came back and I was able to set off again. It wasn’t a major problem. Sometimes these things happen. »
The Finn is nevertheless satisfied with his FP2, considering his setbacks and the interruption of the session following the massive crash of Pascal Wehrlein about thirty minutes before the end.
The conditions were not optimal due to the red flag. We didn’t run as much as we would have liked. Nevertheless, it wasn’t too bad.
Regarding the lap times – just like his teammate – Kimi Räikkönen notes that everyone is very close together, but remains optimistic for the future.
« The lap times are very close. It’s the kind of thing to expect on this type of track. Everything can change quickly by tomorrow. We must do our best, and it might allow us to propel ourselves ahead. Then, it’s up to us to drive as fast as we can. »
