George Russell believes Ferrari has confirmed Mercedes’ concerns after a first day of free practice dominated by the Scuderia at the Hungaroring.
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George Russell did not leave the Hungaroring particularly reassured. While Mercedes had a decent day with the fifth fastest time in the first two free practice sessions, the Briton especially noted Ferrari’s show of strength.
Charles Leclerc dominated FP1 before Lewis Hamilton took over in FP2, confirming the great competitiveness of the SF-26 on a circuit that seemed, on paper, perfectly suited to its qualities.
For Russell, this scenario is ultimately not a surprise. The Mercedes driver feared that Ferrari would benefit from a significant advantage on this winding track, and the first lessons of the weekend seem to have proven him right.
A tricky track for everyone
Beyond the hierarchy, the first day was also marked by the particular track conditions. Part of the Hungaroring was resurfaced before the Grand Prix, offering a very different level of grip depending on the sectors.
The new surface proved particularly tricky in the last corners, where many drivers were caught out by a significant lack of grip and several rear-end losses.
Lewis Hamilton notably had some big scares, while Franco Colapinto ended his session in the wall after losing control of his Alpine.
Russell describes an “odd” day
Interviewed after FP2, George Russell admitted that the track conditions had complicated the work of all the teams.
“It was quite an odd day for everyone. Budapest is a fantastic circuit to drive, but they’ve resurfaced part of the track, which is now very bumpy.”
The Mercedes driver explains that this new surface is already deteriorating in places, making some sections particularly difficult to negotiate.
“The surface is starting to break up in the last two corners, which makes the car quite difficult to drive.”
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These unusual conditions forced the teams to adapt their settings from this first day to better control the behavior of their single-seaters.
Ferrari confirms Mercedes’ concerns
While Russell believes Mercedes has encouraging pace on long runs, he admits that single-lap performance remains insufficient against Ferrari.
The Briton finished almost a second behind Lewis Hamilton in the second session and never seemed able to compete with the two Ferraris.
“Our single-lap pace didn’t look very good. On the other hand, the long runs were more competitive.”
Russell especially admits that Mercedes’ fears regarding the Scuderia have been confirmed.
“What we feared with Ferrari seems to be confirmed: they look really, really strong.”
Mercedes remains hopeful for the rest of the weekend
Despite this initial impression favorable to Ferrari, Mercedes does not yet consider the battle lost. The race simulations carried out on Friday suggest that the W17 could show a better face over the long run.
The German team also hopes to take advantage of the night to optimize the settings on a track whose characteristics have surprised a large part of the field.
Qualifications, however, promise to be particularly tricky for Mercedes if Ferrari confirms, on Saturday, the level of performance shown during this first day of testing.
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