Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari “have to come and fight for the win” at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the final round before Formula 1’s summer break, as attention turns to whether the Hungaroring’s tight, corner heavy layout can finally hand the Scuderia the upper hand over Mercedes.
Ferrari and Mercedes have split the last four race wins between them, though Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes has generally held the edge on outright pace.
Antonelli arrives in Budapest 45 points clear of Hamilton and 50 clear of George Russell in the drivers’ championship after converting pole into victory at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend, even after missing a chance to pit under a virtual safety car.
Hamilton frustrated after fourth in Belgium
Hamilton finished fourth at Spa after being handed a five second penalty for a first lap collision with Russell, and the Ferrari driver admitted he was left more frustrated by his own performance than by the sanction.
His most recent win came at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last month, and he holds a record eight victories at the Hungaroring.
“I’m hoping we can be [competitive].
I need to come correct this week and make sure I deliver the way I know I can deliver in Budapest,” Hamilton said.
“We have to come and fight for that win.”
Why the Hungaroring could suit Ferrari
Unlike the long flat out sections of Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, which favoured a strong power unit, the Hungaroring is regarded as a pure chassis circuit with minimal energy deployment demands.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella expects that shift to play into Ferrari’s hands.
Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok pointed to Hamilton’s win in Barcelona as the clearest recent evidence of Ferrari’s cornering strength.
“Ferrari have been behind Mercedes if you look at the trend across the season, apart from Barcelona where I think Lewis Hamilton genuinely had the outright pace to beat Mercedes,” he said.
“I think Ferrari will be very strong [in Budapest].
We saw in Barcelona the aerodynamic package and the cornering speeds of the Ferrari is very strong.”
Fellow pundit Bernie Collins added that Hungary and Zandvoort, the first race back after the break, both strip away the power unit variable entirely.
“Those are downforce circuits where you are trying to get the most out of the car through those corners and that will promote Ferrari,” she said.
Leclerc and Vasseur urge caution
Ferrari arrived at the Monaco Grand Prix in June under similar expectations, only for Antonelli to take pole and the win.
Charles Leclerc is wary of assuming history will not repeat itself in Budapest.
“I think it’s very difficult to predict the level of performance of every team.
I recall very well what the overall feeling was before Monaco, and we arrived in Monaco and were underperforming compared to what everybody thought we would, so I think we need to be cautious,” Leclerc said.
“We just need to do our homework, just like we do at every different track.”
Team principal Frederic Vasseur echoed that caution, though Ferrari has introduced upgrades after Monaco.
“I think everybody will bring upgrades and we don’t know the picture of the performance.
Everybody is pushing,” he said.
“For sure on paper the layout like Silverstone and Spa are probably a bit more difficult than some others.
But on the other hand, in Monaco, we are not shining.
That means we have to continue to push, to keep the same approach and never think that it will be easy, because it is never easy.”
