Ferrari dismiss 'on paper' advantage ahead of Hungarian GP examination

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has dismissed the potential "on paper" advantage the Scuderia holds heading into the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Hungaroring has long been regarded as one of Ferrari's strongest tracks in 2026 owing to the tight, twisty nature of the circuit, which should play to the strengths of the SF-26 chassis, which is regarded as the strongest in the field.

Coupled to this is the lack of engine power required at the circuit, with Ferrari's power unit down on the class-leading Mercedes in top-end straight-line speed due to the smaller turbo the Italian team has deployed.

In a further boost for Ferrari, it has proven competitive at recent power-sensitive tracks at Silverstone and Spa, with Charles Leclerc winning and taking second respectively, with Lewis Hamilton finishing third and fourth. 

Heading to the Hungaroring, Vasseur was keen to play down expectations for Ferrari, and called for "discipline and attention to detail" across the weekend. 

"We head to Budapest after two encouraging weekends in which we managed to maximise our result thanks to a great team effort," said Vasseur. 

"That gives us confidence, but we also know that every grand prix throws up its own unique challenge. 

"On paper, the Hungaroring could suit the characteristics of our car a little better, but that alone is no guarantee.

"As always, execution will make the difference: we will have to approach the weekend with the same concentration, discipline and attention to detail we have shown over the past two races. 

"We have a united team, two highly motivated drivers, and we know we can count on the support of all our tifosi. 

"Our objective is to keep moving in the same direction, working well from Friday onwards to put ourselves in the best possible position for qualifying and the race."