Motorsport journalist and podcaster
A topsy-turvy day of track action has left Formula 1 none the wiser as to the competitive order heading into a unique qualifying session in Budapest.
Charles Leclerc doesnât expect his strong practice pace to translate into a pole position challenge despite topping FP2 at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Friday.
Leclerc headed an unusual top 10 in Budapest, pipping McLarenâs Lando Norris by just 0.015s and Alpineâs Pierre Gasly by 0.232s. AlphaTauri, Haas and Alfa Romeo were also represented on the top half of the time sheet.
Meanwhile Max Verstappen was 11th, and both Mercedes drivers were locked in the bottom five.
Continue reading on RACERLewis Hamilton says his Mercedes car was âat its worstâ on a difficult Friday afternoon at the Hungarian Grand Prix but apportioned some of the blame to Formula 1âs experimental tire rules in operation this weekend.
Hamilton finished the day an uncompetitive 16th and 1.06s off the pace. Teammate George Russell was last and 1.489s adrift.
Pirelli has temporarily reduced the number of sets of dry-weather tires available for each driver from 13 to 11 in a push to improve its environmental footprint and create more strategic jeopardy. Rather than the usual two hards, three mediums and eight softs available, each driver has been allocated three hards, four mediums and four softs.
Continue reading on RACERCharles Leclerc topped a shaken-up dry second practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly.
Ferrari driver Leclerc used a new set of soft tires to set a best time of 1m17.686s to pip McLarenâs Norris by just 0.015s, with Gaslyâs Alpine a further 0.217s adrift.
The final hour of Friday practice featured a diverse array of running plans that made comparisons between drivers difficult to make.
Continue reading on RACERRed Bull Racing and sister team AlphaTauri headline the schedule of upgrades for the Hungarian Grand Prix, with both making major aerodynamic revisions in Budapest.
Red Bull Racing has been dealing with a 10 percent reduction in development time owing to its penalty for breaching the 2021 cost cap and has thus far refrained from bringing major upgrades to the RB19 this season. The team has listed five major parts to the upgrade package applied at the Hungaroring, though four of those components have reliability listed as their primary purpose.
The car has enlarged front and rear brake ducts that will help deal with the higher braking energy generated around the twisty Budapest circuit, The rear duct exits will also add local load.
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