Ferrari plays down positive Friday in Hungary: 'We want to have the best Sunday'

Ferrari kicked off action for the Hungarian GP on Friday (24) by topping both free practice sessions of the day and locking out a 1-2 in FP2. Despite this, Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur refused to get carried away, stating there is still a long way to go in Budapest. Even so, he acknowledged the Maranello squad’s positive start.

In FP1, Charles Leclerc led the session, setting a 1:19.075 on his best lap. Lewis Hamilton, who finished the opening session in third, topped the second practice with a 1:18.729, closely followed by the Monegasque driver in the #16 to secure the 1-2 sweep.

Vasseur explained that the team’s focus, naturally, remains on race day on Sunday. Viewing that plenty of work still lies ahead before qualifying, the Ferrari boss downplayed the encouraging start in Hungary, while conceding that the car appears well dialled-in for the weekend.

“The goal isn’t to have the best Friday, but to have the best Sunday. Today went very well: the car setup is spot on and the upgrades are working. But we are still a long way from qualifying. That means we need to keep tweaking the car, extract performance across every sector, and do an even better job. So far, though, everything is going well,” Vasseur explained.

“The last race before the break is important because it stays in your mind for three or four weeks. But in Budapest, you don’t score any more points than at Silverstone or Spa. We try to approach every race the same way, and that is crucial,” the Ferrari Team Principal added.

Vasseur also offered reassurance regarding the mechanical issue encountered by Leclerc at the end of FP1, confirming that it was “nothing serious,” though he declined to elaborate further.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is covering all the track action from the Hungarian GP, the 11th round of the 2026 season.

F1 Hungarian GP: when to watch in US ET, London (UK), New Delhi (India), Shanghai (China) and Sydney (Australia)