2022 Hungarian Grand Prix – Friday

WHAT WE LEARNED

• Ferrari was quickest in both free practice sessions today, with Carlos Sainz topping FP1 and Charles Leclerc going fastest in FP2. On both occasions, they used the P Zero Red soft tyre.
• Conditions today were dry and warm: just slightly cooler than last weekend in France. However, tomorrow will be very different, with heavy rain expected for both FP3 and qualifying.
• All three compounds were used today quite extensively, with the soft tyre used mostly throughout both sessions. Second-fastest in FP2 was McLaren’s Lando Norris – with his team mate Daniel Ricciardo classified fifth in the session to complete a strong afternoon for the team.
• There’s currently an estimated gap of around 0.9 seconds between the P Zero White hard and the P Zero Yellow medium, and about 0.6 seconds between the medium and soft. This latter gap in particular will evolve according to track temperatures, with cooler conditions favouring the soft.

 “Rain expected tomorrow with cooler temperatures on Sunday, potentially affecting strategies”

“With the expected degree of track evolution today, we’ve already seen some quick times that would perhaps have eventually beaten the qualifying simulation tomorrow. But with heavy rain forecast for Saturday, this will probably remain hypothetical. With cooler temperatures expected on Sunday, this could also be one of the reasons why we saw a lot of running on the soft tyre today, which might become a valid option for the race. The cooler the weather becomes, the more that the additional grip of the soft tyre comes into its own. However, this has to be offset against the mechanical demands on the tyre at this circuit, especially with the cars on full fuel at the start of the race. There was more wear than expected on the hard tyre today, due to some sliding, while the medium and soft performed well for these conditions. As a result of the changing weather, the teams face some complex strategic decisions over the next couple of days.”

Formula 2
DAMS driver Ayumu Iwasa took his first win in France a week ago and took his first pole position today, in the last couple of minutes of Formula 2 qualifying. Using the P Zero Red soft tyre (nominated alongside the P Zero Yellow medium this weekend) Iwasa was fastest by nearly 0.4 seconds, with the rest of the field very closely matched.

Formula 3
Only the P Zero Yellow medium tyre is used this weekend in Formula 3, with the drivers facing high track temperatures during the 30-minute qualifying session, which came down to a final sprint following a red flag interruption. MP Motorsport driver Alexander Smolyar claimed his first pole of the 2022 season, having also taken pole at the Hungaroring two years ago.