Charles Leclerc said Ferrari had trouble getting the tire temperature right in disappointing qualifying in Hungary
Ferrari did not leave in huge loss in the starting grid definition of the Hungarian GP, late this morning (30), at the Hungaroring circuit. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc took the second and third positions, but Max Verstappen was only tenth. With that said, the performance was not what was imagined. Leclerc tried to explain the reasons.
According to the Monegasque, who was slower than his teammate and the surprising pole-position George Russell, the Ferrari's issue revolved around the correct tire warm-up for the laps launched. Since the track was more than 20°C colder than yesterday in Hungary, Ferrari suffered.
"Let's focus on ourselves [asked about whether being off pole is placated by Red Bull being away]. Today was not a good day, I had a lot of difficulties with the tires. A lot of inconsistency to get the performance window of the tires right in these weather conditions. I struggled to get a lap right," he admitted.
Still, for Sunday, there is optimism as he notes that the car has the speed to win.
"We have to evaluate what happened, but I'm sure we have the pace in the car to get back to the top tomorrow. We will focus on that, and I hope to have a better Sunday," he assured.
"The pace is there, but we have to understand what happened wrong with our tires. I'm sure we can recover tomorrow," he finished.
GRANDE PRÊMIO follows LIVE and INREAL TIME all the activities of the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. On Sunday, the race is scheduled to start at 10:00 am [GMT-3].