Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc dominated the first day of practice in Hungary, but both Ferrari drivers refuse to declare victory before qualifying.
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Ferrari started its weekend at the Hungaroring perfectly. Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the first free practice session before letting Lewis Hamilton take over in FP2, thus securing a one-two for the Scuderia.
In the second session, Hamilton completed his best lap in 1’18″729, ahead of his teammate by 150 thousandths. Behind the two Ferraris, the gap had already widened, with the rest of the field finishing almost half a second behind.
These performances confirm the excellent form of the SF-26 on a circuit that, even before the start of the weekend, seemed particularly favorable to the characteristics of the Italian single-seater.
Hamilton calls for continued progress
Despite this dominance, Lewis Hamilton refuses to consider that Ferrari has already done the hardest part. The seven-time world champion believes that the Scuderia still has room for improvement before qualifying.
“It was a solid day overall. The conditions were quite tricky, with a lot of wind and a very bumpy track in places.”
The Briton emphasizes, however, that the changes made between the two sessions significantly improved the car’s behavior.
“The car was better in FP2 and we made good progress between the two sessions, although there are still some areas where we need to improve.”
Hamilton assures that work will continue overnight to fine-tune the final settings.
“We will analyze all the data tonight, continue to work on the car’s balance and, hopefully, find a little more performance for tomorrow.”
Leclerc expects much tighter gaps
Charles Leclerc shares his teammate’s sentiment. Even if Ferrari largely dominated this first day, the Monegasque does not expect to find the same advantage in qualifying.
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The Scuderia driver believes that the other teams still have significant room for improvement and that the hierarchy could quickly tighten up on Saturday.
“Our performance level seems pretty good, which is obviously positive.”
Leclerc nevertheless reminds that the hardest part is yet to come.
“The weekend is still long. We need to keep working hard to make sure we stay ahead tomorrow.”
A qualifying that could change everything
For Charles Leclerc, Friday’s times do not necessarily reflect the true balance of power. He expects a much tighter battle when everyone fully exploits their potential in qualifying.
“I think the gaps will be much smaller in qualifying. I don’t expect to find the same advantage over our competitors as we saw today.”
Under these conditions, the slightest mistake could be very costly on a circuit where overtaking remains particularly difficult.
“We will have to have a perfect weekend. If the feeling in the car remains the same, I am convinced that we can achieve a very good result.”
Ferrari refuses any overconfidence
While the Scuderia made an impression by locking out the top two places in FP2, the discourse within the Italian team remains particularly measured.
Both Hamilton and Leclerc insist that the track conditions, notably marked by changing wind and a delicate surface in places, made this first day difficult to interpret.
Ferrari will therefore approach Saturday with confidence, but also with caution. The objective will be to confirm this good momentum in qualifying, where the gaps should be much tighter than suggested by free practice.
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