Hungarian Grand Prix – “The team is pulling together”

Track walk. Sebastian and Charles began the day with the usual track walk, before attending technical meetings to prepare for a race that is one of the most demanding for both car and driver. The first 90 minutes of free practice get underway tomorrow at 11 CET, with the second session beginning at 3pm.

Sebastian. Vettel was first to talk to the press in the team’s media motorhome. The German spoke about the car’s performance level. “I think we’ve made progress over the past few races,” he said. “We’re not where we want to be yet because we are not the quickest through the corners, but I think that compared to a few months ago, we are clearly better. The team is working efficiently. Mattia is a great help, because he ensures everyone can work in a calm, concentrated and quiet way, which is what is needed. The next two months will tell if we are on the right road. On paper the circuit is not the most suited to the characteristics of our car, but let’s see how things go when we are on the track.” Sebastian then spoke about the drivers’ role in deciding the future direction for Formula 1. “I think that we drivers are the right people to listen to, because we are only interested in the good of the category in which we race.”

Charles. Next up to meet the media was Leclerc, who began by summing up his first half season as a Scuderia Ferrari driver. “I think that so far it has been a positive season for me. Yes, there have been a few occasions when I could have won and we didn’t manage it. I’m thinking about Bahrain, Baku and even Hockenheim last week. But overall, I would say I have gradually improved, because race by race, I have got to know the team and the car better. I think I have made a lot of progress in terms of managing qualifying, while we still have to improve in the race.” Charles then moved on to the Hungarian GP: “I like the track, even if it is not that well suited to the characteristics of our car,” he said. “However, having said that, we have been quite competitive in recent races, so let’s see what happens once we go out on track.”