Hungarian GP: Why Budapest could ignite Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari title fight against Kimi Antonelli | F1 News

Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari must “come and fight for the win” at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix while McLaren boss Andrea Stella expects the Scuderia to be “very competitive”.

Ferrari and Mercedes have shared two wins each in the last four rounds, although the Silver Arrows have led the pace on the straight for most of the season.

Kimi Antonelli, who is now 45 points ahead of Hamilton and 50 ahead of George Russell in the drivers’ championship, was in flying form last weekend in Belgium, even reversing the misfortune of not pitting under a virtual safety car to beat Charles Leclerc on Sunday.

However, Ferrari were closer than expected at Spa-Francorchamps which is good for the Hungaroring as the track has plenty of corners and should play into Ferrari’s hands.

“I think in Hungary, the Netherlands we’ll see Ferrari probably the fastest car we’ll see in the corners there. Very competitive,” Stella said. Sky Sports F1.

Hamilton has a record eight victories at the Hungarian Grand Prix but five-second penalties in the last two races mean he has not challenged for victory since his win at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last month.

“I’m hoping we can be (competitive). I’ve got to come in right this week and make sure I know the way I can deliver in Budapest,” he said.

“We have to come in and fight for that win.”

Why Ferrari could be the team to beat in Budapest

Ferrari have been the benchmark in corners this year while their main weakness has been their power unit, although they have recently closed the gap on Mercedes and Red Bull.

The last two tracks – Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps – rely on a powerful power unit due to the long flat out zone, but Hungerring is essentially about the chassis.

Power placement, or lack thereof, won’t be an issue so the cars with the best chassis will be strong, so Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok thinks we could see a repeat of Barcelona – where Hamilton triumphed.

“Ferrari were behind Mercedes if you look at the trend throughout the season apart from Barcelona where I think Lewis Hamilton really had the pace to beat Mercedes,” said Chandhok.

“I think Ferrari will be very strong (in Budapest). The aerodynamic package we saw in Barcelona and the Ferrari corner speed is very strong.”

Sky Sports F1Its Bernie Collins added: “Hungary and Zandvoort (the first race after the summer break) are both tracks where straight-line performance is not tested in these cars or any car. They are downforce circuits where you are trying to get the most out of the car through those corners and that will promote Ferrari.”

Vassiur, Leclerc spoils Ferrari’s chances

There were similar expectations going into the Ferrari Monaco Grand Prix in June, only for Antonelli to convert pole position into victory.

Leclerc said: “I think it’s very difficult to predict the performance level of each team. I remember very well what the overall feeling was before Monaco, and we arrived in Monaco and we were performing less than everyone thought, so I think we need to be careful.

“We just have to do our homework, just like we do at every different track. I think what we’ve done particularly well these last two weekends is really make sure we maximize our package, and we should have that mindset for Budapest without worrying about expectations.”

But, Ferrari brought upgrades to the car from Monaco which further improved their cornering performance. Still, Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur is also managing expectations.

“I think everyone will bring upgrades and we don’t know the performance picture. Everyone is pushing,” he said.

“You have a lot of performance in tire management, tire preparation, set-up and execution on the layout of the track. I think if we do the same qualifying work as this weekend, it will pay off, but it’s not a given. It’s not a given for us and it’s not a given for others. Every weekend we’re starting from scratch.

“On paper, for sure, layouts like Silverstone and Spa are probably a bit more difficult than others. But on the other hand, in Monaco, we’re not shining. It means we have to keep pushing to maintain the same approach and never think it’s going to be easy, because it’s never easy.”

Sky Sports F1’s Hungarian GP schedule

Thursday 23 July
2pm: Drivers press conference
5pm: Paddock uncut

Friday 24 July
8.50am: Exercised F3
10am: F2 practice
12.00pm: Hungarian GP Practice One (Session starts at 12.30pm)*
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
3pm: F2 Qualifying
3.45pm: Hungarian GP Practice Two (Session starts at 4pm)
5.15pm: The F1 show

Saturday 25 July
9am: F3 sprint
11.15am: Hungarian GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint*
2.15pm: Hungarian GP Qualifying Build-up*
3pm: Hungarian GP Qualifying*
5pm: Ted’s Qualifications Notebook*

Sunday 26th July
7.35am: F3 Feature Race
9.05am: Porsche Supercup
10.20am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Hungarian GP Build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
2pm: Hungarian Grand Prix*
4pm: Hungarian GP Reaction: Checkered Flag*
5pm: Ted’s Notebook*

*Also on Sky Sports main events

Formula 1 heads to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix live from this Friday with every session on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – no contract, cancel anytime