Sainz starts Hungarian GP with excitement; Alonso, anxious debut of evolutions

When Carlos A weekend starts well, it’s always a good sign. And although it is still Free Practice 1 and the times are not representative, the fact that the Madrid native is starting on the right foot is no less exciting for his followers. The Madrid driver led the Free Practice 1 of the 2024 F1 Hungarian GP with Verstappen in second position at 0″276 and his teammate Leclerc in third place at 0″298.

Ferrari debuted a modified floor in Hungary to solve its rebound problem, which in Budapest did not affect much, but which they believe could be an important change to aim to reduce the two or three tenths that separated them from leading the last races Since then Spa. The lower bounce also allows for improved handling, and so far, Carlos seems very loose and comfortable. He had easy times in a car that suffered a lot in fast corners Barcelona, Austria and Silverstonebut on a completely opposite route, more mousey and full of moderate speed curves, the The red car started on the right foot with Carlos in the lead and Leclerc in third place.

However, there is still a lot of cloth to be cut and teams like Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes have taken a step forward in qualifying. So far, Max Verstappen, who suffered the most on Friday in previous races, started well and this could also be a sign. Red Bull brought a lot of innovation to Hungary to counter the onslaught of its rivals after McLaren and Mercedes had faster cars in previous rounds.

For now, Max started second, although ‘Checo’ Pérez, who has been heavily questioned for his recent performances, is 11th and should improve.

McLaren and Mercedes went into hiding

Russell was the first Mercedes, in fourth place at 0″424 and the fifth place in Zhou’s Stake shows how unrepresented everyone was. Norris was 6th best McLaren at 0″498, followed by his colleague in the team Piastri in 7th place at 0″536 . Despite this, McLaren, Mercedes and Verstappen should be favourites, waiting to confirm the good performance that saw Sainz, Leclerc and Ferrari throughout the weekend full of heat

The track was 60 degrees in FP1. crazy And at a circuit where it is already difficult to protect the tires and reach the end of the lap with a good temperature of the rubber, it seems that things will be complicated for everyone in terms of performance in a qualifying lap.

Alonso, bad start to ‘improvements’

The Aston Martin arrived loaded with new parts for Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, although it was Fernando who tested them in Free Practice 1 to compare their performance with the previous car that Stroll had. The aim of these pieces is to straighten the course of car development, mainly thinking about the 2025 car to ensure the right path. And in the short term, to stand out from the middle zone, because Fernando considers the top 4 teams “far away.”

However, the premiere of new Aston Martin products in Hungary is not promising. Alonso’s radio at the end of the session says it all. They asked him how he found the balance of the vehicle. “Mmm… yes, good luck,” said the man from Oviedo, turning off all the alarms of his fans, who finished 13th in Free Practice 1 with 0.973 And above all, more than 2 tenths of time Stroll set the previous car (Lance was 9th at 0″552).

The Asturian driver was not happy with the balance of the car, especially the front axle. And since there was little time in Free Practice 1 (only one hour), the team chose to continue its analysis program, rolling with paraffin on the floor, diffuser and rear wing to better understand its parts. In Free Practice 2, after the first study, they will make changes to the settings to try to improve the car’s balance and performance. It is too early to draw conclusions, even if the beginning is not the best.