The Briton acknowledged that the Italians "look very strong" after dominating Friday at the Hungaroring. Antonelli was thirteenth in FP2. Mercedes trusts in fighting for pole in qualifying.
George Russell has acknowledged that Ferrari "looks very strong" after the Scuderia dominated both Friday free practice sessions at the Hungarian Grand Prix, while Mercedes struggled to find single lap pace at the Hungaroring. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fastest in both sessions, confirming that the Hungarian track suits the SF-26 well: "It's been a pretty strange day for everyone, I think. It's an incredible circuit to drive, but they've repaved half the track and it's very bumpy" declared Russell.
The Mercedes driver, who finished fifth in both sessions, admitted that the team has work to do: "Our single lap pace didn't look good, but on long runs we were more competitive, however what we feared about Ferrari seems to have come true, they look very strong" said Russell.
The Briton also referred to the software issues that affected him in Belgium: "I trust the team has solved everything, but overall we have work to do as a team. Ferrari is a step ahead of everyone right now" he explained.
Kimi Antonelli, who leads the drivers' championship with a 50 point advantage over Russell and 45 over Hamilton, had a complicated start to Friday. The Italian did not take part in FP1 because Mercedes gave his seat to reserve driver Fred Vesti, and in FP2 he finished thirteenth after not being able to complete a clean fast lap. His first attempt was interrupted by a red flag after Franco Colapinto's accident, and on his second attempt he suffered oversteer.
Despite the difficulties, Bradley Lord, Mercedes deputy team principal, was confident ahead of qualifying: "We hope to be able to fight for pole, we have been competitive on all types of circuits this year, I know there is a certain narrative that certain circuits favor us and others favor them. We have seen other teams fluctuate, but I think we have been quite consistent fighting at the front and able to compete for pole in every race, so that has to be our goal for tomorrow" said Lord.
The performance difference between teams in Hungary could be due to the track's characteristics. The Hungaroring, with its slow corners and aerodynamic demands, usually favors cars with better cornering performance like Ferrari, while Mercedes has excelled on faster circuits with long straights.
Russell trusts that the team can improve in qualifying and fight for pole, but acknowledges that Ferrari starts as the favorite: "Ferrari looks very strong, but we hope that tomorrow we can be closer and fight for the top positions" concluded the Briton.
Saturday's qualifying will be key to determining the starting grid order in a race where strategy and tire management will be fundamental to the final result.
Saturday in Hungary will set the tone for the weekend. Mercedes needs to regain its feel if it wants to maintain its pole streak, while Ferrari starts as the favorite. Russell trusts that the team can take a step forward and fight for the top positions. Qualifying will be key for Sunday's race.
