Formula 1 News: 2024 Hungarian GP Friday Practice Quotes

Lando Norris was quickest come the end of the first day of the Hungarian GP. The English McLaren driver was the only one to get under the 1’18” barrier with a best time of 1’17”788 in the second session. Behind him were Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen (1’18”031) and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (1’18”185). The Spaniard had been quickest in the first session with a lap in 1’18”713, followed by Verstappen (1’18”989) and Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari (1’19”011). FP2 had to be red flagged and the session stopped for 16 minutes, following a spectacular accident for Leclerc.

Oracle Red Bull Racing

Max Verstappen (2nd, 1:18.031): “I think we have had a good day with the upgrades that we have brought to this race. Of course, there is still a lot to do to make sure we optimize the car, but I think it was a solid start to the weekend. It is important to try to look into all the details and work to make sure we have the best set up possible for the car for qualifying. Of course, FP2 was a bit interrupted with the red flag so we didn’t manage to get the full long runs in that we wanted, but it was the same for everyone. We’ll look into things and work from there. All in all, it was a good start to the weekend.”

Sergio Perez (4th, 1:18.255): “It has been a good Friday, I think we made a good step from FP1 to FP2, we made the right changes and took the right direction. This is the most comfortable I have felt with the car at this stage of the weekend in a while. The steps we have made throughout the day have been the best we can do and that is really positive. We are feeling good and the long run looked promising too. I think we can still really dial up the set-up now and at the end of the day it is just about putting everything together at the right time. Our time will come, it’s head down for now and look forward to tomorrow. Let’s see what the rest of the weekend holds for us now.”

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS

George Russell (5th, 1:18.294): “It was a very hot day out there today! It wasn’t quite as bad in the car as I was expecting it to be, but I am sure that will change during the race on Sunday. Everyone in the garage is doing a great job working in such challenging conditions, with temperatures upwards of 35°C in there. We got a lot of laps in today on the long run. That is really useful data for us to go through tonight. It will help dictate our strategy for the rest of the weekend and inform any improvements we can make to the car ahead of tomorrow. The McLarens and Red Bulls looked very quick today, so we know we’ve got some ground to make up. We don’t seem to be quite as competitive in these very hot conditions so that is something we need to understand. We’re excited to see what we can do tomorrow and hopefully we will be in the mix in the top-five.”

Lewis Hamilton (7th, 1:18.363): “It is definitely very hot here this weekend. It typically is here in beautiful Budapest at this time of year! Today wasn’t our best day of the season so far. The car set-up didn’t feel great, and we weren’t on our best form. We made a few small tweaks between the sessions but nothing major. We’ve got some ideas as to why the car wasn’t at its best though so we will work hard on it overnight, looking to make improvements ahead of tomorrow. The competitive order is very close once again out there. Whilst our single lap pace wasn’t the best, our long run was decent. We are still a step behind the ultimate pace at the front but will do what we can to close as much of that gap as possible for Saturday.”

Andrew Shovlin: “We’ve had a productive day. We’ve got some development parts on the car and have been using the sessions to understand the effect they are having on the car balance. The track has been very hot, which is giving the tires a tough time, but it’s a good test of whether we’ve improved our long run performance. The single lap balance isn’t where we need it yet, but we’ve got time to work on that overnight and in FP3 tomorrow. There’s plenty of areas where we can find a bit more pace on both the single lap and long run, so it’s encouraging that if we can make a bit of progress, we should be in a strong position for the rest of the weekend.”

Scuderia Ferrari

Carlos Sainz (3rd, 1:18.185): “Overall, we had a positive day, which is always important here because this is a very tricky track to set up the car. Additionally, due to the high temperatures, it was important to see how all three compounds reacted to the extreme heat on track. We gathered some useful information, and it looks like we are in better shape this weekend. However, it’s only Friday, so let’s see tomorrow.”

Charles Leclerc (18th, 1:19.786): “The car feels pretty good so far and we had a more consistent day compared to the past few weekends. I ran a bit wide in turn 4 and lost the car on the kerb, which thankfully did not cause too much damage, but enough for my session to be over. We will focus on recovering the mileage we missed out on in FP3 tomorrow.”

McLaren Formula 1 Team

Lando Norris (1st, 1:17.788): “Overall, it’s been a good Friday. We made some steps forward between the sessions which is pleasing, and the feeling of the car is reasonable. The grip still feels a little low, so it can be tricky in places, but we’ll work on that tonight to be in a good position tomorrow for Qualifying as it’s very close this weekend.”

Oscar Piastri (13th, 1:18.618): “A mixed day on track. FP1 looked very good but FP2 was challenging, so it’s important we get an understanding of why that was the case. The other car looked quick today which is a positive for the team. If we can sort out whatever happened in FP2, then we should be somewhere close to the front with a strong Quali.”

Andrea Stella, Team Principal: “Friday practice at the Hungaroring has been useful with extremely hot conditions in the first session, followed by a cooler FP2. We could work on our test items throughout the day, which has helped us understand the set-up of the car. We were able to look at different tires as well and how they behave in these hot conditions, this provides the team with important data on which compound is the best suited for the race. Overall, we can see that the car behaves well. Lando was in a good rhythm all the way. With Oscar, there are a few things we need to look at overnight to allow us to be in condition to compete for the first positions on the grid in what looks like a very tight field – not only because of the usual competitors, but it looks like some midfielders have made a decent step forward as well. Anyhow, it looks like an exciting weekend ahead for the fans.”

Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team

Fernando Alonso (10th, 1:18.519):

Lance Stroll (17th, 1:19.179):

BWT Alpine F1 Team

Esteban Ocon (14th, 1:18.754): “It is always nice coming back to the Hungaroring, a track I enjoy driving and a place where I will always have fond memories. Overall, it was a difficult Friday, with the car not quite working or behaving in the way we wanted after trying some experiments in both sessions. We are struggling slightly with general balance and grip on both the short and long runs. The car did feel better on high fuel, but we need to improve across the board if we are to be competitive for the rest of the weekend. We need to look into these things and try to make improvements ahead of Qualifying tomorrow.”

Pierre Gasly (16th, 1:18.888): “It is great to be back in Hungary, although, on our side today, it has been a challenging start to the weekend. Obviously, the high temperatures here are quite tough to contend with and the car did not feel great today. There is lots for us to work on overnight in terms of car balance and set up, so of course, the simulator work back at base tonight will be important. We are still yet to find the car’s sweet spot at this track. There’s more to come from us and hopefully we can put our learnings into practice ahead of tomorrow and be in better shape.”

Williams Racing

Alexander Albon (9th, 1:18.514): “I’m happy with the sessions today; there’s definitely work to do as we’ve experimented a lot between FP1 and FP2, so we need to go through the data and work out which bits worked and eliminate those that didn’t. There’s more potential in the car but I’ll be surprised if we stay where we are but it’s a positive start. Our long pace is looking good and there is still more for us to learn from the data, so we’ll go away and do our homework tonight.”

Logan Sargeant (12th, 1:18.611): “I think most importantly we made a good step forward between FP1 and FP2. I wasn’t super happy with where we were in FP1, but the afternoon session felt a lot better. We just need to keep chipping away, doing our homework and see what we can do better. The big player is the track temperature. Tomorrow looks like it’s going to be a bit more overcast than today, so that may play in our favor. I’m sure Sunday will be tough on the tires, but we’ll put ourselves in the best position we can. Considering the track, I thought we would be in a worse position than we are, so I’m looking forward to having a positive day tomorrow.”

Sven Smeets, Racing Director: “Today was all about testing some of our learnings from Barcelona. We had a busy program and made some improvements from FP1 to FP2 and are in a better place now than where we were a few weeks ago in these hot track conditions. There is still a lot of data to go through tonight, but our race pace looks to have improved. It will be very hot on Sunday, so good tire management will be key to fighting for points.”

Visa Cash App RB Formula One

Daniel Ricciardo (8th, 1:18.371): “I’m very happy with where we ended today in terms of feeling of the car, balance, and obviously classification. I’m much happier now after FP2 compared to where we were this morning following FP1 as I felt we had a bit of work to do after that session. FP2 was solid and we’re in the fight; I was pretty happy and comfortable with the car with both low and high fuel. It’s just practice but it was one of those good Fridays. Tomorrow is a new day, we’ll make some fine-tunes tonight and keep it rolling.”

Yuki Tsunoda (19th, 1:19.606): “Generally, it was a good day for us as a team and started well in FP1. The disrupted FP2 on track and issues on my car meant our run plan slightly changed in the afternoon, and while everyone was doing their long run I struggled to have a clean lap. Overall, the team showed some strong performance, like in the first races, so the energy is positive.”

Alan Permane, Racing Director: “It was a half-good day for our team. Unfortunately, Yuki’s car had a problem with the front suspension setup in FP2. We figured out what the problem was, but we couldn’t fix it in time, so he really didn’t have any sort of FP2 this afternoon. On the other side of the garage, Daniel was very happy with his car. It looks quick and competitive, and we know that’s where Yuki should and will be tomorrow. Overall, it’s been a slightly frustrating but mainly promising day.”

Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber

Valtteri Bottas (11th, 1:18.586): “Today has been a good learning day; it took us a while to get the new parts we are bringing this weekend up and running the way we wanted in FP1 – but that’s what practice day is for. After some fine-tuning of the set-up in FP2, we managed to find a bit more performance and a positive direction to work on ahead of tomorrow. Overall, I feel like we might be in a better position than in recent events, but there is definitely still some work to be done overnight and something more to extract during tomorrow’s final practice session – so that we can come prepared for a crucial qualifying.”

Guanyu Zhou (20th, 1:20.067): “The car felt pretty good straight out of the box today; I still want to be cautious, as it is only Friday, but it does feel like we are in a much better position compared to previous weekends. This could allow us to challenge our rivals in qualifying and fight for a top ten finish on Sunday if we have a good race. Everything worked out smoothly this morning, and this afternoon my lap time could have been worthy of P10 if I hadn’t had that moment in Turn Four. Overall, it’s safe to say we have had a couple of positive sessions so far, especially considering the way our testing program was structured. This track definitely suits our car a little bit better, with its medium-speed corners and smooth surface: still, there is some work to do overnight, but we are going in the right direction.”

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team

Kevin Magnussen (6th, 1:18.315): “In FP1 we weren’t very quick but we seemed to pick up the pace for FP2. The track was slightly cooler so maybe that had an impact – I’m not sure – but we were a lot more competitive and hopefully we can keep that for tomorrow. We’re doing our thing, it’s been going well lately, and we want to keep it going. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t keep the form however the field is so tight that one weekend you’re going to be up there and another weekend perhaps not. We’ve got to make the best of it when we have the pace to score points.”

Nico Hulkenberg (15th, 1:18.791): “Only FP2 in the car for me today, but the session went okay. You’re always a little bit behind and tight on time, and the red flag cut things a bit short, but it is what it is. The feeling in the car wasn’t too bad from the get-go, so that’s the best thing to take away. We’re all pretty close together again and we know overtaking is difficult around here, so track position is king tomorrow.”

Oliver Bearman: “It’s always good fun being back in the car for FP1 with the team. They were very interesting conditions, the hottest track I’ve ever experienced, and that made it quite tough from inside the car, and not just for me, but for the tires as well. I learned a lot, had a lot of fun, and can’t wait for the next one although that’s a long time away.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: “Kevin had a pretty severe brake issue in FP1, so he had a bit of damage on the car and hence we couldn’t get much information from that session. Ollie did a decent job in FP1. It was pretty difficult with track temperature being 58 degrees and we ran medium and soft tires, but on both of them Ollie just got one lap. There was very little opportunity for him to explore the car that session but considering that, he did a good job again. In FP2, things were a bit better as Kevin was happier with the car, and although his brakes still weren’t great, his low-fuel lap time was decent. Nico could’ve done something very similar I think but he had traffic on his flying lap. On high-fuel, as you can see, everyone was struggling with degradation so we also have some work to do there.”

Pirelli

Friday in Budapest saw the third highest recorded track temperature since Pirelli returned to Formula 1 in 2011. The 59.7 °C seen in FP1 has only been surpassed by the 60 °C at the 2018 Hungarian Grand Prix and the 61 °C in the first free practice at the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix.

There was a significant difference of between 10 and 15 °C between the temperatures in today’s two sessions, exaggerated by partial cloud cover in the second hour. It’s an important piece of data to keep in mind when analyzing today’s data, also in light of the fact that tomorrow’s qualifying starts at 16.00 and the race on Sunday at 15.00, even if the weather forecast is for a slight drop in air temperature for tomorrow before seeing a repeat of today’s figures for Sunday.

As for tire use, one important consideration concerns the Hard, which today was only used by Ferrari and Aston Martin in FP1 and by McLaren in FP2. It means that these three teams now only have one set of this specification available for the race, when it is obligatory to have at least one set of Medium and one of Hard. From what has been seen so far, the C3 looks like the most competitive compound, especially over a long run

SIMONE BERRA – CHIEF ENGINEER

“As expected, it was a very hot day. Honestly, there was nothing particularly surprising about this first day of track activity. The three compounds behaved as expected from the simulations, with the C3 and the C4 seemingly the best suited for a race in which thermal degradation will be the key factor. The C5, clearly quicker over a flying lap, with a performance difference to the C4 of around 6 to 7 tenths, will need to be managed carefully in order to extract all its potential.

“Track evolution was significant during the first session, although the track was actually in good condition from the start. The drop in track temperature led to a noticeable reduction in lap time from one session to the other. Furthermore, there was a significant impact on car balance, with degradation more marked on the front compared to the first session.

“Analyzing the times over the long runs, one has to consider that drivers and teams adopted different approaches in terms of tire management: some preferred to have a cautious start to their run before pushing toward the end, while others pushed hard from the start in order to see what the level of degradation might be like in more extreme conditions.”