The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to generate unpredictable results, making it challenging to judge form on a race-by-race basis. Ferrari’s performance in Hungary is a prime example, as the team’s solid practice and qualifying sessions gave way to a disappointing race day.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished fourth and fifth, respectively, after a promising start to the weekend. The team had topped the times on Friday, and Hamilton had lost pole to Lando Norris by just 0.012 seconds on Saturday.
Ferrari’s Weekend Unravels
Things started to go wrong for Ferrari when Hamilton lost his second-place spot on the grid for impeding Oscar Piastri at the end of Q3, dropping him back to P5. This promoted teammate Leclerc to the front row in his place, giving him a shot at victory if he could beat Norris away.
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Leclerc was passed by Piastri, Max Verstappen, and Hamilton on the first lap, dropping back to fifth. Thereafter, it was a struggle for both Ferrari drivers, with Hamilton getting ahead of Verstappen at the first stops only to be passed by the Dutch driver on the track later.
Penalties and Pit Stops
Hamilton picked up a five-second penalty for a marginal pit speeding offense, which ultimately cost him a better finishing position. A late extra stop for soft tires under a virtual safety car didn’t help, either. The speeding penalty put Leclerc ahead in the final classification, but Leclerc wasn’t happy with the outcome.
Leclerc said, “It’s a disappointing weekend. The thing that is standing out for me is that, out of the last three races, there were two races where we were expecting to struggle, and we finished first and second. And in the race where we expected to do well, we finished fourth and fifth.”
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This inconsistency has given Leclerc food for thought on form. He admitted that a stronger first lap would have led to a better result, but he didn’t think that the pace was there to actually win. They have been unable to find consistency with the car, with Leclerc noting that “it’s just been very, very tricky on some stints for Lewis, and some other stints with me.”
A Frustrating Day for Hamilton
Hamilton was also disappointed with his day, citing a good start and decent pace in the first stint of the race. However, he was passed by Verstappen and picked up a fourth penalty in three weekends, which he felt had cost him a better finishing position. He was also frustrated with the team’s decision to bring him in for an extra late stop, which he felt had cost him P2 or P3.
Hamilton said, “I had a good start, a relatively decent start. Gained position, and had really good pace in that first stint of the race. Just … you can’t overtake here, unfortunately. Then undercut Max — which is a positive when we were passing the one of the backmarkers, I think it was. I didn’t see Max coming, unfortunately. Max came past me, and that kind of thing.”
