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Analysis | Ferrari flying in Hungary, but are Red Bull hiding a trick?
As expected, Ferrari seem to have a strong advantage for the Hungarian Grand Prix but Red Bull Racing ran with their engines turned down more compared to others and the weather is going to change dramatically. Will Ferrari keep their advantage, and if so will they make it worthwhile?
Quite often the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend is all about gathering momentum to go into the summer break. It's fair to say, Ferrari need that far more than Red Bull Racing as events last weekend in France saw the championship start to slip away from Charles Leclerc and the Italians. The Ferrari fans will be delighted to see the track map. The Hungaroring is set up perfectly for the 2022 Ferrari car and they have the opportunity to go into the summer break with a spring in their steps.
All results from today's practice session need to be taken with a pinch of salt. Not only do we not know fuel loads and engine modes, but the weather gives presents an anomalous result. For the rest of the weekend, rain is predicted to fall and therefore setups will be different in Friday's hot conditions compared to potential wet conditions later in the weekend. It's also expected to be much cooler.
Qualifying runs
The first of the 2022 season has demonstrated that the two lead cars have completely different ways of achieving a fast lap time. Red Bull Racing are extremely strong on the straights, whilst Ferrari have a clear advantage in the corners. With the corners being slower, more time is spent in these sections and therefore on single-lap pace Ferrari have ruled supreme. When it comes to race day, Red Bull have the advantage of making use of the powerful DRS zones, slipstreams and a car that manages its tyres better.
The circuit in Hungary has one relatively short straight that does help Red Bull, but not enough to tackle the rest of the circuit which is very twisty. Sector one and sector three are virtually mirror images of each other. And whilst the straight does feature in both of these sectors, it comes before two really slow corners in sector three.
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As expected, Ferrari were at the top of the timesheets for both practice sessions. In FP2, both Leclerc and Sainz finished ahead of Verstappen. On the ultimate lap times, there are four-tenths between Leclerc and the Dutchman. That much of an overnight improvement from Red Bull seems a long stretch. Pole position seems to be in the hands of Ferrari, though perhaps McLaren and Norris can spring a surprise.
In the post-session interviews, both Ricciardo and Norris were playing down their chances. The British driver's fastest sector one time gives him a significant advantage in this sector. It could be that McLaren had their engines turned up more, or potentially Norris picked up a tow.
Usually, we see Red Bull recording the fastest speeds in the speed trap. But for once, they are at the bottom along with AlphaTauri. That being said, the split between the fastest team (Williams) and the slowest team (AlphaTauri) is only 6km/h. And Red Bull are only 1km/h behind the average. It's more of an indication of the high downforce set-up required for Hungary causing drag.
