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Ferrari once again missed out on the Grand Prix, despite having a chance to win.
Ferrari's strategic nightmare at the Hungaroring became the latest chapter in a saga of miscalculations that has lasted since the start of the season. Instead of the expected redemption on a circuit where the Scuderia car set the fastest time of the weekend, the Italian team left without pole position, which was snatched by George Russell in a Mercedes that, on paper, should have struggled on this narrow circuit. The pattern was undeniable. In qualifying, Mercedes, aided by soft tires, outpaced the Reds, and the race unfolded in much the same way. Ferrari's only moment of glory came when it forced Russell into an early pit stop, a fleeting tactical victory that was not enough to make up for a day marked by numerous mistakes.
The decisions made in the pit lane proved particularly costly. After a pit stop that took too long, the team opted to fit hard tires, a decision that mirrored Alpine's previous success but ignored the track conditions. The result was a loss of pace, a missed chance at victory, and the absence of even a podium finish.
While Ferrari struggled, the more disciplined teams, Mercedes and Red Bull, had flawless races and collected valuable points, opening up a gap that once seemed unthinkable. The German team, which had started the season on shaky ground, now looks set to eclipse the struggling Maranello team. The message is clear: Ferrari's strategists need to recalibrate, placing more importance on feedback from the track than on pure data modeling. Technology alone cannot compensate for a poor interpretation of the nuances of the circuit. As the summer break approaches, the team has a brief window of opportunity to regroup, analyze its mistakes, and perhaps chart a more coherent course for the future. Realistically, the championship title seems increasingly distant, but the length of the season still leaves room for a turnaround, provided that the lessons learned in Hungary are finally taken into account.
