'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAKDSBp//xAAeEAACAwABBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEBQAHQlFSkf/aAAgBAQABPwDH6gz5ezVxLufpaLvOtaa1NaQsC3eo9B94yQliQhIJ8c//xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABABH/2gAIAQIBAT8AXL//xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAH/2gAIAQMBAT8ABxX/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The first day of running at the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP is now done and dusted with an intriguing FP2 session that leaves the fans somewhat confused.
After FP1 was washed out due to rain, the second session was supposed to be pivotal for the teams to understand the upgrades brought to the track.
Looking at the timesheets, while teams might have an idea of what they were doing, the fans were certainly left bemused.
The 2023 F1 Hungarian GP FP2 was topped by Charles Leclerc with a time that was only 15 hundredths faster than what Lando Norris managed in his McLaren. In P3 we have Pierre Gasly in his Alpine followed by Yuki Tsunoda in his AlphaTauri.
What was somewhat surprising to see was the usual suspects languishing much lower in the standings for one reason or the other. After the only 60 mins of running available on the first day of the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP, what did we learn? Let's take a look.
2023 F1 Hungarian GP FP2: What did we learn?
#1 McLaren is no slouch around Hungaroring
There were fears that McLaren could struggle around Hungaroring. The track does not feature the fast-speed sections of a track like Silverstone and is more conducive to cars efficient in slow-speed corners.
The car from the Woking-based squad has traditionally struggled with that and despite the raft of upgrades on the car, many expected the team to not have a great time in Hungary.
As it turns out, the car seems to be performing well around Hungaroring. Don't be deceived by the final standings on the timesheets as Mercedes, Red Bull, and Aston Martin as well are yet to show their true pace but it does appear that McLaren will be in the mix in the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP.
#2 Times in FP2 might not be truly representative
The first look at the times could leave the fans confused. A Ferrari on top of the standings with a McLaren not far behind is understandable. Beyond that, it doesn't make much sense. The Red Bull duo is not even top five while the Mercedes pair does not feature amongst the frontrunners either.
With the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP FP1 in the bin due to rain, teams were running different run plans. Mercedes did not even do a soft tire run while Red Bull only used one soft tire for Max Verstappen.
The timesheets are arguably misleading for now and while we can have a few takeaways from this, it's hard to jump to any major conclusions for the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP.
#3 Red Bull could be getting Monaco flashbacks
Monaco was one of the races this season where Max Verstappen had to really pull one lap out of the hat to secure pole position and subsequently the win. Fortunately for Red Bull, the track for the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP is conducive for making up positions.
Having said that, it's not the easiest track to overtake. The similarity between the demands in Monaco and at Hungaroring could bring competition into contention in qualifying.
If there is one race where Verstappen's five race pole position streak would be in danger it is this one.
#4 We're looking at a condensed field in qualifying
Given the nature of the track and even taking the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP into consideration, we might be looking at a qualifying session where everything is bunched up.
The gaps between teams might not be too big around this track as can be seen with the gaps in FP2.
Unfortunately, we didn't really see every team putting together their qualifying simulations hence the things are still not clear but from whatever running we've seen, the gaps might not be too big and it might once again come down to driver skill in qualifying.
#5 Tires are going to play a crucial role this weekend
The 2023 F1 Hungarian GP qualifying is not going to be straightforward in any which way. One of the major reasons behind it is the introduction of the new qualifying format where different tires are going to be used in different sessions. What this also means is that the jeopardy factor comes into play as well.
The hard tires almost appear to be too hard for the track and did not appear to be the preferred rubber in FP2. With every team forced to run it in Q1, we could be looking at some interesting developments.
In the 2023 F1 Hungarian GP race weekend, just like last season, tires are going to play a crucial role.
