Can Ferrari take advantage of the Hungaroring to kickstart 2022 comeback?

Ferrari will be hoping that they can use their advantage in the corners to win in Hungary, following disaster at the French Grand Prix.

The Scuderia ended what could be the final French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard in disastrous fashion as the team’s race imploded on all fronts.

After taking pole position and leading the early stages of the race, Charles Leclerc ended his race in the barriers after crashing his F1-75 at turn 11, allowing Max Verstappen to further his championship lead to 63 points,

Meanwhile, an unsafe pitstop release combined with a poor strategy saw Carlos Sainz miss out on what could have been a podium for the Spaniard, with wide-scale criticism from the Tifosi being seen post-race.

All of this fell nicely into the hands of Red Bull and Mercedes, Verstappen claiming the win ahead of the Silver Arrows, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell taking a double-podium.

However, with just one race left before the summer break, as Formula 1 returns to Budapest for the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix, Ferrari could take advantage of the race to springboard them into the latter half of the season.

Throughout the season, there has been a clear distinction between the strengths and weaknesses of the title contenders. Ferrari’s F1-75 is better in the corners, while Red Bull’s RB18 gains its time on the straights; a fact highlighted in France.

So, with the Hungaroring being a circuit that is dominated by corners, Ferrari should be rubbing their hands together at the prospect of claiming a 1-2 this weekend.

Speaking after the French Grand Prix, Ferrari team principal remained adamant that his team were focusing on the next race, saying:

“Once again today we have proved to our drivers, we have a fast car and a competitive one. I think we are simply looking to Hungary, we need to turn the page and look to Hungary and do a one-two there, so we simply focus on the next result.

“Our car is great, gentle with tyre management, the drivers as well are doing the proper job, and I think we come out from here Le Castellet with full confidence on our package, on our drivers’ capacity and our speed.

“So, in a week’s time we’ve got Hungary, only seven days, important for us to turn the page, to look forward. Hungary will be again very hot and it will be again about tyre management, tyre degradation and tyres overheating – very similar to Le Castellet.

“So I will say there is plenty of reason why we need to smile, and be positive, because our objective going in Hungary should be not for a winning, but a one-two.”

With their extreme confidence, the team will be hoping that this does not morph into cockiness and end with another weekend crashing down in disaster.

Everything you need to know about the Hungarian Grand Prix

The 4.381km Hungaroring made its debut in 1986, being the first Formula 1 Grand Prix to be held under the Iron Curtain, and has since held some historic races in the past.

Damon Hill, Jenson Button, Daniel Ricciardo and most recently Esteban Ocon all clinched their maiden victories, with poor conditions being navigated by the latter-three drivers to some extent during the races.

But this weekend, the forecast is predicting that the race will held under scorching temperatures, meaning tyre management could be key winning this weekend.

These tyres will be in the middle of Pirelli’s range with the C2, C3 and C4 tyres available for teams to choose from over the weekend.

Qualifying will get underway at 3pm BST on Saturday while the Hungarian Grand Prix will start at 2pm U.K. time.

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