Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz keep the pressure on world champion Max Verstappen high at the start of the Formula 1 weekend in Hungary. After the Spaniard Sainz set the best time in the first free practice session, Leclerc is unstoppable in the second session.
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen also has to defend himself against strong competition from Ferrari in the last race before the summer break. The Dutch Red Bull star was left behind in training in Budapest and only lined up behind the two Scuderia cars. Ferrari star Charles Leclerc drove the fastest time on the Hungaroring. In 1:18.445 minutes, the Monegasque finished 0.231 seconds ahead of his team-mate Carlos Sainz from Spain. In hot temperatures of up to 34 degrees, Verstappen was 0.283 seconds behind Leclerc. Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko even called Ferrari's performance on the day of practice "scary".
Verstappen goes into the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday (3 p.m. / Sky) with a large lead of 63 points over challenger Leclerc. Never before has a pilot not become world champion if he already had such a comfortable cushion at this point in the year. "I expect Ferrari to be very strong here," said Verstappen anyway. Especially in qualifying on Saturday, Leclerc and Sainz could pose a threat to the defending champion. Added to this is the uncertainty about the changeable weather. It could rain heavily or even thunderstorms during qualifying, but it could get significantly warmer and drier at the Grand Prix itself.
This weather situation, which is complicated for the teams, with some strong changes, could also help Sebastian Vettel. On his farewell tour, which lasted ten races until mid-November, the 35-year-old finished seventh in practice and would like to finish in the points at the Hungaroring. On Thursday, the Hessian announced that he did not want to extend his contract with Aston Martin and instead would resign after a good 15 years in Formula 1 at the end of the season.
Vettel celebrated two of his 53 Grand Prix victories in Hungary, namely in 2015 and 2017 in a Ferrari. He hasn't won a race since moving to Aston Martin last year and is retiring because there are hardly any decisive improvements possible in the near future. "I still have enough motivation for the last races and my fitness isn't a problem either," said four-time world champion Vettel. After this Grand Prix, a three-week break begins before the second part of the season continues at the end of August in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.
In the overall standings, the Heppenheimer is 14th, only three points ahead of his buddy Mick Schumacher, who could overtake the old master for the first time in his career with a good result. In training, the 23-year-old steered his Haas racing car to 17th position. The son of record world champion Michael Schumacher is likely to be the only German Formula 1 driver in 2023. However, the youngster has yet to extend his contract. According to his own statement, he is currently not dealing with a change as successor to Vettel for the traditional English racing team Aston Martin.
