FERRARI FAVORITE IN HUNGARY! BUT THERE'S THE MERCEDES CATCH! SF-26, MACARENA WING, C5, KIMI…

[00:00:00]We now officially know what Ferrari's new movable wing will look like, the upgraded version that will debut in Hungary. In fact, it will serve to increase aerodynamic downforce while maintaining the efficiency that Ferrari's current Macarena wing provides. In today's video, we're going to look at why Ferrari is favored in uh in Hungary, but be careful, caution is needed. That's what Vasseur is also saying because we've seen what happened in Monaco. Ferrari was considered the favorite there as well, but that race didn't go as hoped. So, be careful not to declare Ferrari the winner just yet.

[00:00:30]We first need to see how the new developments adapt to the track, and only then can we draw any conclusions.

[00:00:36]Certainly, Ferrari is starting out as the team that needs to perform well. A track like Hungary with many slow corners and few straights offers limited opportunities to make a difference with the internal combustion engine. But, we definitely need to be careful because the competitors are much closer to Ferrari than it might seem. In fact, Ferrari is considered the favorite for Hungary due to its high aerodynamic load and also its precision in handling, especially in slow sections.

[00:01:04]But, Mercedes starts with a more consistent performance base and also fewer uncertainties. The Hungaroring requires stability in both traction and braking. It is very important to manage the rear tires as best as possible, as they will degrade more, especially during the race, where Ferrari is very strong. Also, pay attention to qualifying because Ferrari has shown some difficulties in qualifying when it comes to extracting performance, especially with the soft tires. In Hungary, having a good qualifying is crucial to start as far up the grid as possible, also because overtaking is much more difficult in the race compared to, for example, Spa-Francorchamps or even Silverstone.

[00:01:41]So, the power deficit remains critical, but on a track like Hungary, it can be mitigated. The Hungaroring is a narrow and winding track without long straights, which limits overtaking opportunities, increases the importance of qualifying, and requires high downforce setups, as well as a high level of mechanical grip to handle the sequence of low and medium-speed corners. The high temperatures of the Hungarian summer place significant thermal stress on tire degradation. The air temperature is expected to be between 25 and 30°, so the asphalt will be much hotter compared to other tracks.

[00:02:15]Ferrari will need to protect the rear without sacrificing rotation, which is the strength of this Ferrari SF26. There will also be the C5 tire in qualifying, so it will be important to avoid destroying this type of carcass on a flying lap, and to keep the temperature consistent throughout the lap, because the Hungarian circuit is just under 4 km long with a total of 14 corners, many of which are low speed. It's important not to overheat the tires, especially during qualifying laps, to remain consistent from the first to the last sector, and of course, to maintain an excellent long-run pace in the race with even the harder compounds. But, let's also talk about the evolved Macarena wing introduced for Hungary, a much-anticipated debut featuring strategic aerodynamic modifications. In fact, Ferrari is adopting some changes that Mercedes has already implemented on its rear wing, which are designed to increase the aerodynamic load of the wing itself. In fact, there are these so-called hunger flaps, which are which are components that protrude from the rear wing, specifically on the last flap, the uppermost one. Their purpose is to increase the aerodynamic load of the wing when it is closed, but when the wing is open, it's important to maintain the same aerodynamic efficiency. That's why many have wondered what sense it makes to introduce a more advanced Macarena wing at a track like Hungary, where there are many corners and few straights. Well, because it's a modification that increases aerodynamic downforce, not, let's say, reduces it.

[00:03:40]Sorry, not to reduce aerodynamic efficiency, either. It's not a less loaded wing, but a more loaded wing that maintains the same aerodynamic efficiency as the wing Ferrari brought to previous races. In short, it's a modification aimed at improving Ferrari's aerodynamic downforce in corners and therefore managing the tires even better.

[00:04:01]It's a solution that Ferrari has been working on in this recent period.

[00:04:05]They've been studying this solution for two or three months, but the production timelines are very tight. They decided to introduce it in the last race before the summer break and then we'll see it again later on. However, it will mainly be used on tracks where having excellent aerodynamic downforce is necessary with lots of corners and so it's important to see if Ferrari will be able to perform well, especially in the medium slow sections with this evolved Macarena wing. At the same time, we have to hope that this wing doesn't negatively affect the car's aerodynamic drag because that will be crucial. In fact, is Hungary the ideal circuit to test this solution?

[00:04:41]Yes, we all agree on that.

[00:04:42]And Ferrari has completed the development of this specification and considers it ready for this competitive debut. In fact, this wing was actually supposed to debut earlier at the Spa-Francorchamps race, but it wasn't the right circuit and the production timeline was too tight. So Ferrari decided to wait one more race before introducing it. Watch out because Antonelli, on the other hand, is dominating with a unique and inimitable driving style, aggressive, perfectly suited to the characteristics of the 2026 cars, allowing him to dominate the championship up to this point. In fact, his approach consists of shortening the cornering radius with quick and decisive steering inputs, saturating the front end on entry to stabilize the rear and progressively gain grip. In fact, you can see that he enters tighter compared to Russell. On corner entry, he uses the entire outside curb, the outside, and then tries to use the whole track causing the rear to stall, so to speak.

[00:05:35]This style, combined with sophisticated energy management, makes him particularly effective on low-grip tracks and in combined phases where you need to use a bit of throttle and a bit of brake. Antonelli's style is based on very, very quick and decisive inputs, especially in turn one and at the final chicane at Spa-Francorchamps. We've seen him enter decisively towards the inside curb and then progressively widen his line, managing to maintain a level of grip that other drivers can't. He deliberately shortens the entry and then gives a quick flick of the steering wheel towards the exit. In fact, this approach requires great control of the car at low and medium speeds and it allows him to rotate the car and quickly stabilize the rear end. The saturation of the front end on entry means that the front is in a condition with a sudden input towards a very high steering angle that tends to make the car go straight, stabilizing the rear and progressively gaining grip. This style also affects tire wear and temperatures with a measurable difference compared to Russell. According to the team's analysis, the 2026 cars require drivers to constantly attack and if you try to make your input smoother and cleaner and even manage the tires, if you will, trying to find a compromise between, let's say, having a good entry angle into a corner and a good exit, this does not pay off in terms of lap time. The cleaner your driving, the more you have um a rear end that stays less planted to the ground and Antonelli has understood this. In fact, he uses a more aggressive driving style, especially on entry, then tries to stabilize the rear for the exit. And Russell is still struggling because of his driving style as he can't quite adapt his driving to these 2026 cars and so inevitably he ends up using more energy compared to Kimi Antonelli.

[00:07:18]We also saw an inexplicable energy deployment issue at Spa with Russell complaining about this problem several times and constantly trying to modify his driving style following the team's instructions after Silverstone.

[00:07:30]Mercedes has identified two factors underlying Russell's problem. The first is his driving style, which is something the team itself struggles to pinpoint.

[00:07:37]The main problem is that Russell is unable to properly recharge the battery when braking at turn 14 at Spa-Francorchamps, which is the last opportunity before the stretch towards Blanchimont, resulting in incorrect energy distribution throughout the lap.

[00:07:51]In fact, we can see that Russell recharged the battery less than Kimi Antonelli. And at Silverstone, we saw a Mercedes that had attributed the gap to differences in driving style. However, at Spa, the situation turned out to be more complex. In fact, during free practice one, Mercedes engineers noticed a gap on Russell's car that was traced back to a malfunction of the standard flow meter, which was later replaced. In free practice two, the deficit reappeared. An analysis revealed that Russell was unable to properly recharge the battery when braking at turn 14, and the gap was spread throughout the entire lap.

[00:08:26]Speaking after the race, Toto Wolff explained that in qualifying mode, they noticed a problem for him. After turn 14, Russell had less energy to use at Blanchimont compared to Kimi Antonelli.

[00:08:36]However, Kimi Antonelli was even more effective in the corners, which does not mean that George had less energy overall.

[00:08:43]In short, putting all the factors together, it becomes clear that the fact Russell had less energy available was caused both by poor management in Russell's own driving style, but also by a problem with the car, which had less energy available on his vehicle. An incorrect energy distribution throughout the lap as well. At Blanchimont, the MGU-K of the Briton, George Russell, started cutting out earlier than it should have. In short, Mercedes needs to solve this problem on Russell's car as well, because it caused issues not only at Spa-Francorchamps, but also at Silverstone. In fact, Kimi feels comfortable with his car. He has also changed the engine. He has a high-performing engine, and his driving style fits the single-seater perfectly.

[00:09:22]On the other hand, Russell is really struggling, partly due to his own fault, because his driving style just can't adapt to these 2026 cars. In fact, Russell is known for having a much cleaner driving style compared to Kimi Antonelli, and you can see it on the track as well, but this year it isn't paying off. On top of that, he's also having problems with his car and his engine.

[00:09:43]Lewis Hamilton analyzed his weekend at Spa and revealed that Ferrari's potential was enough for a win if it hadn't been for the crash in free practice three and the subsequent five-second penalty for the contact with Russell. In my opinion, it's true.

[00:09:57]Ferrari could have tried to fight for the win, especially considering what happened during the race and also given that Hamilton's race was an uphill battle due to the damage to the left bargeboard and the five-second penalty.

[00:10:07]However, Hamilton obviously took full responsibility for what happened in turn 13 during FP3 because it was his mistake at the end of the session that inevitably compromised qualifying as well, even though he did take part, but he wasn't at 100%.

[00:10:22]Neither he, in terms of feeling with the car, because after an accident like that, you lose a bit of confidence, nor the car itself was at 100%. In short, Hamilton estimates that the aerodynamic damage and the loss of the left bargeboard, part of the front wing, cost him about a tenth of a second per lap, but the indirect effects on the car's components are even more significant because it's a car that is symmetrical and now it's unbalanced from one side to the other. And in fact, during the race, Hamilton was then penalized five seconds for the contact with Russell, even though both of them had called it a racing incident and I myself said that, in my opinion, Hamilton shouldn't have been penalized in that case from my point of view. And Hamilton points out that the damage from free practice three and the penalty contributed to preventing him from being able to fight for the win. We'll see if Ferrari will be able to fight for the win in Hungary.

[00:11:12]They're starting as favorites, but be careful, caution is needed, as Vasseur also says, because we've seen other races in the past where Ferrari was considered the favorite and then didn't deliver. So, we'll see how this weekend goes. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Remember to leave a like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more videos on Formula 1 and Ferrari. That's all for now. See you in the next video.