Ferrari arrived in Hungary looking like genuine contenders for victory, but a weekend that began with plenty of promise ultimately ended in frustration.
The Scuderia set the pace during Friday practice, with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc looking comfortable around the Hungaroring. Early signs suggested Ferrari had the pace to challenge McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull, raising hopes of adding another strong result to their season.
That momentum, however, began to slip away as the weekend progressed.
Hamilton looked capable of fighting for pole position in qualifying before eventually securing second on the road. Any advantage from that result disappeared after he was handed a three-place grid penalty, dropping him to fifth for Sunday’s race. Leclerc inherited a front-row start, but a poor getaway when the lights went out saw him lose ground in the opening laps.
Ferrari committed both drivers to an aggressive three-stop strategy in an attempt to fight back through the field. Hamilton briefly emerged ahead of Kimi Antonelli following his final pit stop, but his hopes of a podium challenge were dashed when he received a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. The time penalty dropped him behind the Mercedes driver, leaving Hamilton to settle for fifth despite finishing close behind Antonelli.
Leclerc recovered well after his difficult start to cross the line in fourth, but the result felt underwhelming considering Ferrari’s pace earlier in the weekend.
While fourth and fifth represented another double points finish for the Scuderia, there was a sense that far more had been on offer. After topping the timesheets on Friday and showing encouraging pace throughout practice, Ferrari looked capable of fighting at the front. Instead, mistakes, penalties, and missed opportunities left the team leaving Budapest wondering what might have been.