Hungarian Grand Prix 2021 – Practice

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: Today has been very hot and this has occupied quite a lot of our time. Both drivers have had solid days and have begun to tune their cars for the conditions we expect to see tomorrow and on Sunday. We have run all three compounds today and have a good idea of how we will tackle qualifying and the race. We think there is more to come from the car tomorrow and tonight we will be looking to see how we can get a little more from the tyres during a qualifying lap.

There is a risk of rain for the rest of the weekend and so we will have to keep this in our minds as we finalise the car build ahead of qualifying.

George Russell: It was very hot out there and overall, it was a good day. We were not quite as quick as I had hoped but, having said that, it’s only Friday. We’re in a good position for Qualifying and also for the race. It is so difficult to overtake here and if conditions stay the same, with the track temperature being very hot, then it will be a difficult race for everyone, so we are definitely keeping an eye on Sunday.

Nicholas Latifi: It was definitely very tricky today, one of the hottest track temperatures I have driven, so it was a challenge to find the right balance with the tyre management. The relative pace is there or there abouts, but I feel there is a lot that we can improve which is a positive.

The car has had the pace to get into Q2 at almost every race this year, so on a track where the car should be more competitive, I see no reason why we can’t fight for that tomorrow. We have some work to do tonight, we still have to dial in the balance of the car to give me a bit more confidence, but it is definitely possible.