F1 Team Preview: Ferrari needs a good show on Sunday

For Ferrari, things have not quite been going their way. Fernando Alonso is currently second in the drivers’ standings with 123 points, 34 points adrift leader and world champion Sebastian Vettel of arch rivals Red Bull. They are a distant third in the Constructors’ Championship behind second place Mercedes by 3 points and a massive 70 points behind leaders and current champions Red Bull.

Two practice sessions have been finished in Hungaroring and the results are not very heart warming for Ferrari fans. The first session was disappointing with Fernando Alonso finishing fourth and Felipe Massa managing a lowly fifteenth behind Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso.

However, the second session saw a much better result for the team with Alonso and Massa finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Ferrari desperately needs a win in order to catch up with the leaders Red Bull; but going by the practice results, they have a lot of improvements to make if they are to challenge Red Bull on Sunday.

Fernando Alonso has been doing quite well to be challenging Vettel despite driving a seemingly slower car. It is important for Alonso to keep pressing and secure a good finish this Sunday for him and Ferrari to have a shot at both the championships when the season resumes after the summer break.

Alonso knows very well how important it is to keep trying and maintain the momentum because everything can change in Formula 1 in a matter of seconds. Last season, Alonso had a 40 points lead coming to the Hungarian Grand Prix but he ended the season losing the title race to Vettel by just three points. Alonso won in Hungaroring in 2003 and there’s every chance of the Spaniard doing it again on Sunday.

Felipe Massa however, has not had a good season so far, with his third place finish in Barcelona being his only podium this season. The uncertainty surrounding his future in Ferrari is not helping him either. Last race in Nuburgring saw him skidding off the track in the initial stage of the race after having had a good start.

With Ferrari terming the incident as a human error, it certainly was not good for his morale. However, Massa being a true professional and with the talent he has, he may just surprise everyone with a good show in Hungaroring. While many don’t consider him a contender, he cannot be overlooked either.

Ferrari have had five wins in Hungary, but their latest win in Hungaroring came in 2004 when seven time world champion Michael Schumacher pulled off a win. Having done it before on multiple occasions, Ferrari believe they can do it again. They are happy with the new tyres from Pirelli, as was quite evident from the tests in Silverstone.

If they manage a good qualifying session on Saturday, they may have a good chance of fighting their way back into the title race. A Ferrari win in Hungaroring will provide an exciting second half of the season post the summer break.