Fred Vasseur (Ferrari) wants “not the best Friday, but the best Sunday”

The loyal Tifosi were convinced ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend: the tight Hungaroring suits Ferrari’s strengths better than the high-speed circuit at Spa-Francorchamps.

And now this: Barcelona winner Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the second Hungarian practice session, ahead of Silverstone winner Charles Leclerc – it looks like a front row all in red, something we last saw in Mexico in 2023, with Charles Leclerc ahead of Carlos Sainz.

Can the Tifosi dream? Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said after Ferrari’s best Friday yet: “All well and good, but we don’t want to show the best Friday – we want to show the best Sunday!”

“But it’s true, it was quite decent today; the car’s balance is fine, and the latest improvements are delivering on the stopwatch exactly what we’d hoped for from our work in the wind tunnel.”

“But qualifying is still a long way off. We need to keep pace with how the track develops and continue to fine-tune the set-up. We need to improve in every sector of the circuit and perform even better than we did today. Only then might we be able to think about pole position.”

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“A good result here in Hungary is crucial for morale, because after that we head into the Formula 1 summer break, and the team should go on holiday feeling positive. On the other hand – there aren’t any more points up for grabs in Hungary than at Silverstone or Spa.”