Here's why Max Verstappen feels "it will be hard to beat" Ferrari at 2022 F1 Hungarian GP after 'tricky' practice sessions 

Max Verstappen was not too optimistic about Red Bull's chances this weekend and it does appear that his fears have come true. The reigning champion conceded that Ferrari will be tough to beat in Hungary and should continue to hold the advantage in the race.

After the session, Max Verstappen admitted to the media that this was expected as the track favored Ferrari extensively. The reigning champion wasn't that upbeat as he admitted it would be very hard to compete with Ferrari in dry conditions this weekend. He said:

“As expected, it was a bit tricky around here today, we were trying to find the right balance from high to low speed, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t – there’s a bit of work to do. I think the Ferraris will be ahead of us this weekend and it will be hard to beat them.”

“We’ll work hard overnight and try and close that gap as much as we can. The weather looks like it will have an impact on us tomorrow. In the dry we might struggle to compete, but it could be a different story in the rain; who knows, we will see tomorrow.”

Ferrari was strong in Monaco and should have picked up a comfortable win with its advantage. Similarly in Hungary, the Italian squad appears to hold the edge in terms of speed in both short and long runs by the looks of it. The Hungaroring is also called 'Monaco Without Walls' by many F1 pundits due to its high downforce requirements.

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Max Verstappen's teammate hopes rain mixes up things!

Max Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez confirmed the same fear the Dutchman had about Ferrari and admitted that the Italian squad just had a better performance on this track. Perez, however, felt that rain could be a big equalizer for everyone as unpredictable weather often tends to mix things up.

The Mexican said:

“We were trying various bits to get comfortable with the car today and I think we have got a good idea and understanding of things, so hopefully tomorrow we will be able to show what we have learned.”

“That should transfer to both high and low fuel pace and I am fairly optimistic for the weekend, but the Ferraris certainly look very strong. They are very fast but rain tomorrow could mix things up a bit and we can be up there with them. We must put everything together tomorrow for qualifying and I am looking forward to it.”

It will be interesting to see if Charles Leclerc closes the gap to Max Verstappen this weekend or whether the weather plays a spoilsport for him.