Hungarian GP long runs: Kimi Antonelli hits back at Ferrari

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari dominated both practice sessions on Friday, showcasing a gap of about half a second over their nearest competitors. However, the long runs completed at the end of the second practice session suggested a tighter competitive field than the timesheets indicated. Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, produced the fastest long-run pace among all competitors after recovering from earlier setbacks that included a red flag and a mistake during his qualifying simulation.

In adjusting for varying stint lengths and tire compounds, Antonelli averaged 0.46 seconds per lap quicker than Charles Leclerc driving for Ferrari, whose race simulation showed inconsistency. The primary question arising from Ferrari’s performance was why they exhibited such strength in single-lap pace yet struggled during long runs. This situation prompted Ferrari to investigate further during their post-session discussions to enhance their setup for the remainder of the event.

Lewis Hamilton’s long-run pace was also less impressive, with McLaren’s Lando Norris (+0.52s) and George Russell of Mercedes (+0.61s) both finishing faster over the same race distance. In the first practice session, Hamilton had managed a notably quicker long run than Russell, suggesting that Mercedes was still evaluating its performance against Antonelli, who missed the opening session.

Red Bull Racing faced similar challenges with Max Verstappen, who had placed second in the first session and fourth during the second, struggling to preserve pace with heavy fuel loads. Isack Hadjar averaged 0.79 seconds per lap slower than Antonelli, while Verstappen lagged by 0.82 seconds. This pattern in Red Bull's performance might push the team to reevaluate their race setup as the weekend progressed, acknowledging the Hungaroring's reputation for limited overtaking opportunities, which accentuates the importance of qualifying.

Aston Martin was under review after arriving in Hungary with an extensive update aimed at improving their position within the midfield. However, their performance in the long runs saw Fernando Alonso ranked as the second-slowest driver, trailing behind by 3.42 seconds per lap. The team struggled primarily with top speed, particularly evident in the first sector of the circuit where they lost significant time on the straights. Thus far, Aston Martin appeared unable to effectively bridge the gap to the competition.