What the teams said - race day in Hungary

A round-up of all the action from the the Formula 1 Pirelli Magyar Nagydij 2017 in Budapest...

Ferrari

Vettel led off the line but instead of driving serenely to the finish, he had a tough race with a steering issue. Staying off the kerbs and not driving at full speed, he had Raikkonen on his tail throughout, but despite the Finn's many pleas to the team to be let through, they wouldn't oblige and left their drivers to battle out on track. Raikkonen closed right up at times but couldn't find a way through. He did however, successfully keep a charging Hamilton at bay to ensure Ferrari's first one-two at Hungary since 2004.

Sebastian Vettel, 1st

"Everybody inside the team can be very happy and proud of what we have done today! Afterwards, I said to Kimi that I was sorry, because I was slow and struggling during the race. For Kimi it was not good to be there in the middle of a sandwich. It was a tough race that, in the end, kept a good shape. I developed a problem with the steering wheel and I don't know why yet. We need to avoid it happening again of course, but during the race I didn't have an option. It's not like parking the car, check if everything's all right and then fix the problem. It was quite annoying because it was a strange feeling. But then, at some point, I forgot about it and just tried to get used to it, which was tricky because it just kept changing and getting worse. However, in the end the pace was still there. More generally, I don't like the short term view that some people have, that after a good race everything is great and you are the hero, but after a bad race it is a disaster. It is not fair because people work hard spending a lot of time, working all together on the car. In my opinion, we have the best car and downforce which, hasn't been the case for many years. In the end we can make a difference and we have done that so far. We have our testing days here next week and we have a lot of work to do. After that there will be the Belgian GP. Our car has been good there and I think we have some improvements, so it should be fine."

Kimi Raikkonen, 2nd

"Today my car was amazing, the handling was perfect and I was always feeling comfortable; even following Seb from very close behind, the behaviour was fantastic. I had no worries that Mercedes could get me. I had a pretty good start and a good run in the first corner; then I took it quite easy. In places like this it's tricky to try and overtake and I did not want to force things too much with my team mate. When you end up between two cars is not the easiest situation. When they called me for the pit stop I wanted to stay on track a bit longer because I felt I had the speed, but the team has the big picture and I trust them. I ended up following Seb through the whole race and I was never able to use my full speed. Today I knew I had all the tools to finish in a better position, but I should have done a better qualifying. I'm happy for the result that we achieved as a team and this is the main thing. I'm here to win races, but If you take the big picture it was a great weekend, we got the maximum out of it."

Maurizio Arrivabene, Team Principal

"A great race and a result obtained in far from easy circumstances. Once again it demonstrated the strength of character at Ferrari. Congratulations to the guys here and back in Maranello, working together in what is the mark of a great team. Seb drove a magnificent race, managing to keep the lead despite the problem with the steering wheel. He was helped by a great performance from Kimi who demonstrated, not only that he is a champion, but also that he is a true team-player. Next week, here in Hungary, prior to the FIA mandatory shutdown, we continue our development work, in preparation for the Grands Prix in Spa and Monza."

Red Bull

Both Red Bulls got off the line well and were in the mix at the start until Verstappen made a mistake, locked up and collided with his team mate who was running round the outside. That put Ricciardo into immediate retirement and earned Verstappan a ten-second time penalty for causing a collision. The Dutchman opted to pit late and steadily made up the time lost with a series of scintillating laps. Despite closing up to the leaders, he was unable to find a way past and was left wondering what might have been.

Max Verstappen, 5th

“I think the situation started from Turn 1. My start was actually quite good but then I got squeezed a bit wide on to the astro-turf and lost quite a bit of speed. Then Daniel and I were both fighting for position at Turn 2 so we braked quite deep into the corner. I had a car in front of me so I lost quite a bit of downforce and locked the front tyres, from there I was just a passenger. I was trying to avoid Daniel of course but unfortunately that was not possible. It is never my intention to hit anyone, but especially not your team-mate, and especially with the relationship I have with Daniel, it's always really good and we can always have a laugh. This is not nice and I apologise to Daniel for that and also to the team because we could have scored some good points here. I'll speak with Daniel in private and we'll sort it out. It was actually a positive Sunday in terms of pace. It’s not nice what happened in the beginning of the race, so I’m of course not happy with that, but at least the car is moving forward.”

Daniel Ricciardo, DNF

“The start wasn’t too bad and I got a good exit out of Turn 1, I saw Bottas on the inside of Turn 2 so knew I had plenty of room on the outside. I thought it was a good place to position myself and protect my position through the turn. I felt a hit but couldn’t see who it was, I knew Max was on my inside going into Turn 2 so assumed it must have been him. It’s really frustrating as we know our car has been better than sixth all weekend so we went out there to push for a good result and get on the podium. We will discuss the incident in de-brief this evening and me and Max will talk privately also and sort it out. I would have loved to race today and now I have four weeks to wait until I can get in the car again. It’s a shame to finish the first half of the season and head into the summer break in this way.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal

“A very frustrating day for us. After both cars made good starts, Max ran wide at Turn 1 which allowed Daniel to get past on the run to Turn 2 and unfortunately Max made a mistake under braking, locked up and hit the side of Daniel’s car causing sufficient damage for him to have to retire on the spot. Not only did it eradicate one car but it also landed Max with a 10 second penalty for the contact. It was particularly frustrating today because it was clear we had a very competitive race car despite the time penalty that he had to serve. His pace during the race was certainly capable of being on the podium today and gave nothing away to our competitors. It was pleasing to see Max put his hand up and immediately apologise to Daniel and to the team and we all move on from that.”

Mercedes

Hamilton was passed off the line by a feisty Verstappen, but gained the place back when the Red Bull man was handed a time penalty. He set about chasing down his team mate, asking the team to be let him through to challenge the Ferraris ahead but promising to give the place back if he couldn't pass. Bottas duly obliged but despite catching Raikkonen, Hamilton couldn't overtake and kept his word to let Bottas back through, doing so at the final corner to allow the Finn to claim the final podium spot.

Valtteri Bottas, 3rd

"It was really tricky today. The pace was not so much a problem. But once you get within 1.5 seconds to the car in front of you it becomes so difficult to close the gap. And that track position was a big benefit for Ferrari today. Even though Sebastian was struggling, no-one could pass him. We tried as a team to swap positions, but Lewis couldn't get past them either. We didn't gain any points but I'm glad we tried it. I was promised that Lewis would let me back if it didn't work out. I was struggling with the back markers so the gap to Lewis became bigger than I wanted. But Lewis and the team kept their promise and we swapped positions back in the last lap. I don't think every team-mate would do that in a championship fight, so I think that was really nice of him and it shows that he is a real team player. Our situations still is not too bad with regards to the points and the championship standing. Lewis and me are still in the fight."

Lewis Hamilton, 4th

"I tried my best out there. It's tough when you push so hard and you work so hard and you end up in the same place that you started. When the radio didn't work, I was thinking that the team was worried about the tyres not going the distance. So maybe they were going slow so that they could speed up later. I was pushing and I had all this pace, but I was stuck behind Valtteri and I couldn't tell the team because of the radio. But in the final laps, I kept my word. I said that if I couldn't pass Kimi then I would let Valtteri back. I have said through this year that I want to win this title in the right way - and perhaps I will look at it in a different way if, at the end of the season, I lose out by a small margin - but I believe in doing the right thing and that when you put good things out there, they come back to you. I was 20 points behind before, but down to one, and now back to 14. We have lost quite a few points in the first half of the year - but I know that we can win it, once we come back even better after the summer break."

Toto Wolff, Team Principal

"Today was a tough day for the team but one that showed the values that we hold high. First of all, we cannot ultimately be satisfied with third and fourth places; we managed to limit the damage to Ferrari, and were fortunate that Red Bull accounted for themselves on the opening lap. So it's positive that we didn't lose too many points on a circuit where Ferrari had the upper hand. But it was also a great day for the team because we saw our ethos played out for everybody to see with great respect between Lewis and Valtteri. First, for Valtteri to let his team-mate past to put the pressure on Ferrari and try to challenge Kimi; second, for Lewis to sportingly give the place back in the final corner without losing any position to Verstappen. These are the values that helped us win six championships and, in the long term, it is the approach that will win us many more titles - even though it was a tough call to make and it's not a great feeling afterwards. But we stick to our principles and our word. The race was made more challenging by problems in the garage that cost us radio comms with the cars at points during the race and also affected the data we had in the garage. That particularly affected our communication with Lewis and perhaps had an impact on the outcome today, as we could have played our strategy differently if the comms had been working properly. But now we have the time to take a step back, recharge the batteries and come back with renewed energy in the second part of the season. There is still everything to play for and both championships are wide open."

James Allison, Technical Director

"We would have preferred to head into the summer break on the back of a result like the one we enjoyed in Silverstone, but in its own way this was a race that demonstrated many of the truly great things about this team. For the drivers to treat each other with such a degree of respect, that they both could have a go at attacking the Ferraris but then reverse the positions under intense pressure, was both extremely challenging and required a great deal of trust. To do it in such a professional manner, with the looming threat of Verstappen running right behind Valtteri, was a great thing. After a well-earned summer break, we will look forward to resuming the fight in this intense and intriguing championship, and all our focus will be on ensuring that, come the end of the season, the Mercedes flags are flying high."

Toro Rosso

Sainz made a good start and ran solidly in the top ten all race to bring back some good points for the team. Kvyat opted to start on the soft compound and was in a tight midfield battle with Magnussen and Hulkenberg all race. Despite changing to the faster supersoft tyre for his final stint, he couldn't find the pace to close and came home in P11 due to Magnussen's late penalty.

Carlos Sainz, 7th

“A great race! I managed to do a very good start, went around the outside of both McLarens into Turn 1 and held onto my position into Turn 2. At this point, I saw that maybe I was also capable of getting a Mercedes, but I decided to back-off a bit and play it safe because the work was done. From then onwards it was a very tough task to defend from Fernando, as he was much faster than us today. In the end he got past us but I’m happy to have been able to hold on to that seventh position… For us this is like gold at the moment! All in all, it’s been a very positive weekend with a perfect Quali yesterday, a fantastic start and race today… I can now go on holiday happy and very satisfied with my first half of the season – I’ve ended up in the points in every race I’ve finished up until now, which is a good statistic to hold onto, and I’m enjoying this mid-field battle. I look forward to the second half of the year!”

Daniil Kvyat, 11th

“It was a great race where we were not rewarded, unfortunately. We had good pace out there today and I think that, without the grid penalty, we could’ve been fighting for points. On the positive side, it’s good to bring the car home and to gain five positions at a track like the Hungaroring isn’t bad – I enjoyed it out there today! I’m now looking forward to the summer break and having some time off before focusing again to get the best out of the second half of the season!”

Franz Tost, Team Principal

“Carlos had a great start to today’s race and was racing in P6 by the end of the first lap. He defended this position against attacks from Alonso in a very good and professional way. He then came in for a pit-stop, which I have to say was a fantastic one – we did it in around 2.0 seconds, it was very fast! Therefore we stayed in front of Alonso, even though later on he was able to overtake Carlos - his car was simply faster today. Carlos brought the car home in seventh place and I think this was the maximum he could get out of the package today. Regarding Daniil, he was in a very difficult situation, starting from P16 after the three-place grid penalty he was given yesterday. He started on the soft tyres and gained two positions straight after the start. Our calculations made us leave him out as long as possible on those tyres while the other cars, racing on supersofts, were coming in to pit. This allowed Daniil to race in free air, even though he did find traffic at times – especially at the end with Magnussen, who was on the supersoft and it was therefore difficult to overtake him. In the end Daniil finished in eleventh position, which was the best possible result for him today. The team did a very good job over the weekend. We improved the performance of the car from Friday to Sunday and to finish in the points here is a very good result to go into the summer break with. We will certainly push again next time out in Spa-Francochamps!”

McLaren

Alonso was duelling with Sainz for much of the race. McLaren tried to get him ahead of his fellow Spaniard in the pits, but when that failed Alonso took matters into his own hands and pulled off a fantastic pass around the outside of Turn 2 to grab sixth place, his best finish of the season. To top off his birthday weekend, he grabbed fastest lap too in the dying stages of the race. Vandoorne lost time as he overshot his pit box on worn tyres, but still scored his first point of the season.

Fernando Alonso, 6th

“We were probably looking at seventh or eighth position today, but with Ricciardo out of the race, sixth place became possible, and we grabbed it. Still, we worked for that result all weekend – no mistakes, good practice sessions, strong qualifying, and then a perfectly executed race.

“There are three or four weekends in a season where we can be competitive, so we need to maximise those and fully capitalise on our potential – and that’s exactly what we did this weekend. Races like Spa and Monza are going to be more difficult for us, so let’s just enjoy this result and think about the difficult ones when they come.

“The battle with Carlos was a close-run thing. We were together at the start, at the restart after the Safety Car; we came into the pits together, we exited together and I knew I had two laps where I could really push and stress the new tyres a little bit.

“I tried to do that with some kamikaze moves at times because, after those initial two laps, I knew it was going to be impossible. It worked out fine.

“Also, the fastest lap at the end of the race was a surprise – a gift – but one we’ll take!

“It was definitely a good race, so let’s go into the summer break with smiles on our faces.”

Stoffel Vandoorne, 10th

“It’s been quite a positive weekend for me – we came here expecting to be competitive and we were able to run inside the top 10 for the whole weekend.

“When an opportunity like this comes up, we have to grab it with both hands – and we did. Before my stop, we were looking at the gap behind and trying to over-cut people behind us, but I made a small mistake at the stop, locked up and stopped too long.

“Nonetheless, my pace in the race was encouraging – we were definitely quicker than the Force Indias here, but overtaking is very difficult. In the end, we got points so it’s a good weekend for the team.”

Eric Boullier, McLaren-Honda Racing Director

“Today was a timely reminder that, despite a difficult season so far, at our heart we remain a passionate racing team. To score nine points and set the fastest lap of the race shows that, as soon as an opportunity presents itself, we are ready to take advantage of it.

“What can you say about Fernando’s drive today, except that it was utterly sensational. He was absolutely charging out there – and, once he’d made his pit-stop and switched to the Prime tyre, he was really able to control his pace until the end.

“His pass around the outside of Carlos [Sainz] was brilliant – he knew he had to make a move stick while on fresh rubber, and he did just that. From there, he just drove away, and set a number of quick-laps before finally setting the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap. He showed today just what makes him so special.

“Stoffel also drove a very strong race. He didn’t get a break at the start, as Ricciardo slowed right in front of him, but he drove strongly all the way to the finish. He’ll be pleased to have scored a point just ahead of his home race; this is the reward for a lot of dedicated hard work and effort from both him and the team.

“As we prepare for the summer break, and the second half of the season, this result will send us away with added sense of purpose and determination.”

Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda R&D Co. Ltd Head of F1 Project & Executive Chief Engineer

“Today was a good day at the office for the McLaren Honda team. A double-points finish is definitely a positive step forward for us.

“After yesterday's encouraging result in qualifying, we knew we had a package capable of scoring some points. Both Fernando and Stoffel drove brilliantly, keeping their concentration in hot and tough conditions, and pushed throughout to bring home nine precious points.

“Today’s result is the sum of a lot of hard work and daily efforts made by the team members, and I want to thank them all for this.

“Although we are now able to head into the summer break with good momentum, we are not satisfied with the overall results of the first half of the season. We will continue to push our development for improvement, and hope to have a good start of the second half in Spa- Francorchamps.”

Haas

Grosjean lost places at the start after contact with Hulkenberg forced him wide. He had to pit ahead of schedule for a slow puncture but worse was to come when he was sent back out on track with one tyre incorrectly fitted. He was ordered to pull off track, for his first DNF since Russia. Magnussen didn't fare much better - he too was battling with the aforementioned Renault, but at one stage defended too robustly, forcing Hulkenberg onto the grass. The stewards awarded him a five-second time penalty for his trouble, and he came home outside the points.

Romain Grosjean, DNF

“Not much to say about the race, to be fair. It was compromised at the first corner when I was hit. Then we had a puncture, and then we had a loose wheel, so we had to stop the car and not take any risks. When you have a tough weekend you then want to jump back in, get back on the horse. The break will be good for everyone, but we need to understand what we can do to avoid this kind of weekend.”

Kevin Magnussen, 13th

“I don’t really understand the penalty. He (Hulkenberg) didn’t get anything for what happened at turn one when he smashed into the side of Romain, which finished his race effectively. I didn’t even touch him. He could have chosen to back out, as I had the corner. I was on the inside and we were side-by-side. If anything, I was a little bit in front. I just chose my line. It’s not like I moved off the racing line. We braked late, so it’s natural you go wide and push on the entry. He put himself in danger on the outside. There aren’t many positives to take away from this weekend. It’s been a tough weekend in every sense. I’m sure we’ll do better next time.”

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal

“A tough Sunday to end a tough weekend to end the first half of the season. For the race, I want to see the positives first. Kevin fought hard and Romain, well there was a mistake on the tire change. The guys who change the tires are under a lot of pressure. It was the right place to happen. Romain wasn’t happy with his car anyway. He was 15th, so there was nothing to be gained. If it’s to happen somewhere, it should happen here. Kevin drove a fantastic race. He defended and got penalized. I don’t fully agree with the penalty. It was very similar to what the same guy (Hulkenberg) did at turn one to our other car. In the end, it is what it is. We would’ve been 11th, which wouldn’t have been in the points anyway. It happened. We need to get over it. It was a tough weekend. Now we go on a bit of a vacation and we come back again and get some points.”

Williams

Williams hadn't looked on the pace all weekend and so it proved come race day. Stroll kept out of trouble in the incident-filled start, and drove a lonely race ahead of the Saubers from there on. Di Resta was cautious in the first few laps but soon got into the swing of things, battling with Wehrlein before being forced to retire late on with an oil pressure issue.

Lance Stroll, 14th

"It was quite a boring race, I was driving alone the whole time, so not much happened and we didn't have the pace this weekend to stay with the others. I tried everything I could in the first stint to hold the other guys, and I was doing okay. Then, in the second stint, I tried the undercut but I just didn’t have the pace and overheated the rears too much. We kind of finished where we started, and we expected that. All in all, it was a tough weekend, but we now need to look forward to the other kind of tracks - Spa, Monza - that should be better for our car. Now we are over halfway through the season, I feel very different to Australia. It was my first race and with each one I have been getting a little bit better. Obviously you shine a bit more on the tracks that work with the car, but for sure every race and every weekend I am getting more experience and becoming a better driver. I am now looking forward to the break to recharge the batteries and do a lot of training."

Paul Di Resta, DNF

"It was obviously a very exciting day, but it was a very difficult day as well. Jumping straight in the car with no experience of the different tyre compounds or running on high fuel. I wasn’t sure what to expect so I went in with an open mind. You have to be very aware of the space around you, and how much downforce you lose when there’s traffic around you. So I was cautious and just wanted to keep my nose clean. We went a different way on strategy, but the biggest thing for me was just gaining the confidence as the runs went on and I was feeling more comfortable with the car. It would have been nice to finish, without the oil leak. But overall I’m not too dissatisfied with where I was given how little running I’d had."

Paddy Lowe, Chief Technical Officer

"It was a very long afternoon to bring away very little, unfortunately. Paul, considering the circumstances, drove a great race with good consistency and stayed out of trouble. But unfortunately what appears to be an oil leak developed, as we were seeing an escalation in oil consumption so we decided to retire the car before the engine was in danger of losing oil pressure. So it’s a great shame for Paul, considering his fantastic response to our urgent need yesterday. We’re sorry not to give him a car that could get him to the finish. On Lance’s side, he kept up with the pace the car was capable of, but we were just not quick enough today to really compete in this race. We have the summer break to refresh and come back positively at Spa. Of course, we all wish Felipe the best with his recovery to good health for the next race."

Force India

Perez got the better start of the two Force Indias, making up five places to grab P8 despite contact with Ocon. That was where he finished, lacking the pace to chase down Sainz in front but comfortably ahead of his team mate. Ocon looked to be heading for P10 before Vandoorne's costly pit stop promoted him a place to ninth. Force India go into the summer break with nine double points finishes from 11 races - and a solid grid on fourth in the constructors' championship.

Sergio Perez, 8th

“I’m very pleased to come away with eighth place today. It hasn’t been an easy weekend in terms of my feeling with the car, so to turn things around in the race and pick up some points is a good recovery. I made a very good start, positioned my car well and that was very important for the final result. There was a bit of contact with my teammate, which damaged my front wing, but fortunately it didn’t change the balance of my car. It wasn’t the busiest race for me because I spent most of the afternoon behind Sainz and Alonso, but we couldn’t make our way through during the pit stop window due to a slow stop. Overall it’s been a very strong first half of the season and we can go into the holidays feeling pleased with the job we have done.”

Esteban Ocon, 9th

“It was a pretty messy start and that compromised my race. Sergio made contact with me in turn one, which caused some damage to my floor, but I was able to continue even though I lost some performance. In the end, we got another double points finish for the team, which is great considering how difficult the weekend has been leading up to the race. The rest of the race was very clean and we were able to resist a lot of pressure from Stoffel [Vandoorne], so I am happy with the end result. We kept our main rivals behind us today and it means we can go on holiday feeling happy. I’ve scored nearly 50 points in the first part of the season and we’ve got a healthy margin over the teams behind us. Now we can recharge our batteries and come back ready to score even more points in the second half of the year.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal

“A competitive Sunday with both cars scoring important points. It edges us over the 100 points mark, which is a good way to head into the summer break. We knew we had solid race pace and we made the most of an aggressive first lap, which brought both Sergio and Esteban up into the top ten. From there it was a routine afternoon with both cars executing one-stop strategies. It’s a satisfying outcome because we knew our race pace was better than our qualifying times. It means we’ve scored points in ten of the eleven races so far this year and had double points finishes in nine of those races. It’s a credit to the team for the excellent job everybody has done in the first half of the year.”

Renault

Hulkenberg had contact with Grosjean at the start which was deemed a racing incident. He then came up behind Palmer and as the quicker driver, his team mate stepped aside and the German ran inside the top ten until a lengthy pit stop cost him time. In an eventful afternoon, he was pushed onto the grass by Magnussen before retiring late on. Palmer kept out of trouble but didn't have the pace to pass the Toro Rosso ahead.

Nico Hülkenberg, 17th

“It was a frustrating race today, especially as we had the pace for a better result. I felt really confident and the car was good. We could put in decent lap times in clear air, but it was pretty difficult to pass, so I spent a lot of time stuck in traffic. The pit stop was frustrating as we lost a lot of time at a vital moment in the race. This led to me being stuck behind Kevin Magnussen. I’m all for hard racing but he was just ruthless by pushing me off track, for which he was then penalised.”

Jolyon Palmer, 12th

“The start was okay, but I lost out when I had to avoid Ricciardo, who suddenly slowed and that dropped me out of the top ten. As well as letting him through, my strategy was compromised today to try and help Nico’s race, and that meant Magnussen and Kvyat jumped me. It was a frustrating run to the flag with much more pace, but no chance to overtake them on this track. Now I’m looking forward to summer break and switching off from racing to reset for Belgium.”

Cyril Abiteboul, Managing Director

“It’s a disappointing result on Sunday from what could have been a very strong weekend for us. Our starts weren’t good enough with either car to move up the order, especially for Nico to recover from the gearbox penalty. Subsequently, we were caught in quite a procession as it is difficult to pass here. It was clear that Nico had more pace than Jolyon in the early stages, so they swapped position. Unfortunately, Nico was subsequently delayed with a wheel gun issue on his stop and this dealt his chances of points a fatal blow. His race then came to a premature end after being pushed off track by Magnussen, which caused a number of issues on the car. Jo had a solid race however the pace wasn’t strong enough for points. Despite the disappointment today, we have taken a clear step forward with the car, as shown in qualifying and in clean air, so we are eager to put this into play in Spa.”

Sauber

Ericsson locked up at the start, nearly collecting his team mate in the process. Those two were both pitted very early and thus shared the same piece of track for much of the race. They kept the fight clean though and late second stops didn't help them take the fight to Stroll ahead. Wehrlein won the intra-team battle.

Marcus Ericsson, 16th

“It was a difficult race. We did not have the pace that we hoped, and were just not able to fight the competitors in front of us. It is disappointing, because we expected to make a bigger step with the first parts of the aerodynamics update we brought with us. After the summer break, we should be able to make another step forward.”

Pascal Wehrlein, 15th

“Considering my grid position, the race result is ok. I could not have expected more starting from P18, so we definitely made the best out of today. Now, I am looking forward to the summer break, during which I can review the first part of the season. I will then return into the second part with full power.”

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal

“It was a tough race for us. During the safety car period, Marcus came in for an early pit stop due to a flat spot. Pascal then also had to pit due to a slow puncture. We then decided to put our drivers on different strategies. Overall, our pace is just not good enough to fight our direct competitors. We know that it will be difficult for the forthcoming races, but we need to stay focused and motivated for the second half of the season.”

Pirelli

Mario Isola - Head of Car Racing

“A great performance from Ferrari with perfect tyre management in the hot conditions from all the frontrunners. In the end, because of the early safety car and also the difficulty of overtaking, nearly all the drivers opted for one stop. Before everyone heads off for the summer break, we now have the second in-season test of the year, including one day of dedicated 2018 tyre testing with Mercedes on Tuesday.”