Following his sensational lap in Saturday's qualifying which saw Charles Leclerc claim a shock pole position for Ferrari, the Monegasque endured a heartbreaking result at the Hungarian Grand Prix despite his impressive pace during his first two stints of the race. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo delivers his latest analysis in his column branded as F1MATHS.
People keep saying Russell is better when Leclerc has a bad car. But in my eyes Leclerc is clearly the 2nd best driver on the grid and arguably closer to Verstappen than to Russell.ScuderiaLeo wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 20:52The team also deserves some credit. The extended stint was a good choice and the pit stops were perfection.
But man... Leclerc... what a driver. I know this thread was just discussing him leaving, but what a blow to Ferrari it would be to lose him...
Leclerc 9/10Formula 1 fan 1996 wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 21:14How good was this race for Leclerc and how good for Hamilton was this race?
Okay, thank you for answer.PierreW wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 21:18Leclerc 9/10Formula 1 fan 1996 wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 21:14How good was this race for Leclerc and how good for Hamilton was this race?
Hamilton 6/10
I don't think Russell is that far off from Leclerc (or Verstappen) in terms of tire and race management or pace. Mercedes struggled massively on the hards, unless Russell was making mistakes I didn't see I'd put the poor pace down to the car and not him personally. If you put the three of them in perfectly equal cars and let them loose on a track they'd do very similar times.bananapeel23 wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 20:58People keep saying Russell is better when Leclerc has a bad car. But in my eyes Leclerc is clearly the 2nd best driver on the grid and arguably closer to Verstappen than to Russell.
I gotten flack and a lot hate thrown my way on the Mercedes thread for saying Russell tyre management is a big weakness and 2 people thought I was hating because I wanted to hate when it's the opposite.bananapeel23 wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 20:58People keep saying Russell is better when Leclerc has a bad car. But in my eyes Leclerc is clearly the 2nd best driver on the grid and arguably closer to Verstappen than to Russell.ScuderiaLeo wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 20:52The team also deserves some credit. The extended stint was a good choice and the pit stops were perfection.
But man... Leclerc... what a driver. I know this thread was just discussing him leaving, but what a blow to Ferrari it would be to lose him...
Hamilton... this is the only interview I've found so far. If I find another I will add it since this isn't much...I thought I had to defend myself from those behind me, Antonelli first and foremost. I'm really happy with my race, I did my best — we need to improve in qualifying.
The team was perfect, both the pit wall and the mechanics in the pits — they do incredible pit stops. We're lacking a bit of performance and aerodynamic load, but there are a lot of reasons to be happy this weekend. It's been a while since I felt this good in the car and figured out how to unlock this much performance.
I hope the upgrades arrive soon and improve the car, although before the Spanish GP, I think it’ll be difficult to close the gap. We'll have to see what happens there with the new wings. Things may change.
There wasn't a single second I felt comfortable in the race. I don't know how to improve things. Clearly the car is capable of being P3. Charles did a great job today so I can't blame it on the car.
Russel is stronger than both wheel to wheel.ScuderiaLeo wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 21:32I don't think Russell is that far off from Leclerc (or Verstappen) in terms of tire and race management or pace. Mercedes struggled massively on the hards, unless Russell was making mistakes I didn't see I'd put the poor pace down to the car and not him personally. If you put the three of them in perfectly equal cars and let them loose on a track they'd do very similar times.bananapeel23 wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 20:58People keep saying Russell is better when Leclerc has a bad car. But in my eyes Leclerc is clearly the 2nd best driver on the grid and arguably closer to Verstappen than to Russell.
The place where Russell falls behind is in wheel-to-wheel. Leclerc has more experience in it than Russell or Norris and it shows. We all know Leclerc is one of the only drivers who can match Verstappen for more than a few corners along with Hamilton. There was a few laps of it in Brazil last season.
It’s clear that if we weren’t one or two steps ahead today, it’s because of qualifying—because during the race, we had a very competitive pace. Charles was very strong. He managed the tires during the first 10 laps because he was in dirty air and knew he had to extend his stint, then on the hard tires, he matched the McLarens’ pace. But as we said, we need to improve in qualifying, be more consistent throughout the weekend, and start from a better position.
We have to work as a team to keep developing and improving. We have weaknesses and we know they mainly show during flying laps, because in the race we’re always a bit stronger. We need to do a better job on Saturdays, but it’s a team effort—it’s not one person saving the others. We’re all in the same boat.
Today we were very consistent in all types of corners. Yesterday, we struggled a lot in turns 1 and 2. Today, on the other hand, we were the fastest. We need to talk to our drivers to understand what was done differently from yesterday. Honestly, the pace was there throughout the lap. Also, tire preparation and management play a role in the issues we face during flying laps.
It’s always a matter of several factors, not just one. When you’re three-tenths behind, it’s not just one thing that’s off—it’s a bunch of things. Performance comes from many areas, and we have to chase every hundredth of a second in all aspects, like we did last year. We were far off at the start of last year, but we made up ground. This podium will help us move forward.
We’re behind McLaren in points—and by quite a lot. Compared to Red Bull and Mercedes, it’s because of what happened in China. But now, we’re looking forward to keep working and pushing as a group. The results will come.
I’m thinking about Miami. I think it’s a mistake to think about the championship. We need to do what we did last year—take each race one at a time to improve. We know the car has weaknesses, it’s clear, and we need to be honest about it. We need to do an honest analysis. We’ve got some pretty clear ideas.
Hamilton? It was tougher for him, 30 seconds behind Charles. He fought at the end. He had a good second stint, but in dirty air, he struggled. He has too many ups and downs—he does, and the team does too. We need to be more consistent and do a better job during FP3 before qualifying. I think that’s the main issue. We need to be on point in every session—not just in the race or qualifying.
New parts? Miami’s tricky because there’ll only be one free practice session. It’s a Sprint weekend. So we’ll only have one hour of practice. We’ll probably bring updates to Imola.
ringo wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 21:50Russel is stronger than both wheel to wheel.ScuderiaLeo wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 21:32I don't think Russell is that far off from Leclerc (or Verstappen) in terms of tire and race management or pace. Mercedes struggled massively on the hards, unless Russell was making mistakes I didn't see I'd put the poor pace down to the car and not him personally. If you put the three of them in perfectly equal cars and let them loose on a track they'd do very similar times.bananapeel23 wrote: ↑20 Apr 2025, 20:58People keep saying Russell is better when Leclerc has a bad car. But in my eyes Leclerc is clearly the 2nd best driver on the grid and arguably closer to Verstappen than to Russell.
The place where Russell falls behind is in wheel-to-wheel. Leclerc has more experience in it than Russell or Norris and it shows. We all know Leclerc is one of the only drivers who can match Verstappen for more than a few corners along with Hamilton. There was a few laps of it in Brazil last season.
