Carlos Sainz says Ferrari 'in a good place in terms of car balance and pace' after 2022 F1 Hungarian GP practice sessions

Ferrari is in a good place concerning the balance and pace of the F1-75 at the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, according to Carlos Sainz.

Sainz was the fastest driver on track during both Free Practice (FP) sessions on Friday in what could be a sign of things to come for the rest of the race weekend.

After posting a best time of 1:18.750 in FP1, Sainz saw his time lap eclipsed by Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who clocked in the fastest time of FP2 at 1:18.445.

Following both sessions, the Spaniard took time out to speak to the media about the Scuderia's chances for the race weekend at the Hungaroring. The 27-year-old said:

“It has been an interesting Friday. The car felt very good straight out of the garage in FP1 and we could put together some very good laps. For FP2 we tried a couple of changes in the set-up to evaluate which direction is best to take for tomorrow and the race. We lost the feeling a bit, but we are in a good place in terms of car balance and pace.”

Sainz then addressed the potential change of elements predicted by the weather forecast for Saturday's final practice session and then Qualifying. He said:

“It looks like tomorrow might be wet, so we’ll have to adapt to the conditions. Today was a positive day for the team and I look forward to the rest of the weekend.”

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Max Verstappen expects Ferrari to be really quick at 2022 F1 Hungarian GP

Max Verstappen is wary of Ferrari's pace advantage and expects the Prancing Horse to be quick at the upcoming 2022 F1 Hungarian GP.

Ferrari have been rapid in 2022, but reliability and driver errors, along with the team's own strategic blunders, have let the Scuderia down on multiple occasions this season. Verstappen has capitalized on this thrice so far and now has a 63-point lead at the top of the World Drivers' Championship standings.

The reigning world champion, however, is not taking the rest of the season for granted. Speaking to the media ahead of the 2022 F1 French GP, Verstappen said:

“It’s a great lead, but a lot of things can happen. I just want to stay focused. We need a lot more good results. We still need more one-lap pace, and I think the next race is going to be a bit more of a struggle for us, where I think Ferrari is going to be really, really quick. But we’ll see. Again, it’s all about scoring points every single race, even when it’s not your day.’’

Verstappen is also hoping Red Bull can introduce their own set of upgrades to take the fight to the Scuderia in the remaining races of 2022.