Thursday’s practice sessions help teams better understand the equation between their machines and the track. Carlos Sainz had issues with his car, which behaved strangely in the second practice session and was sitting in P11 during FP2. After collecting their data and analyzing it, Scuderia Ferrari gave Carlos Sainz a new power unit. However, in order to do so, the team worked overtime, breaking curfew in Budapest.

It was a penalty-free curfew breach as teams may do this twice per season; this was Ferrari’s first. Although both Ferrari drivers said the car was okay, they agreed that there was work to be done.

The Spaniard felt vulnerable on the track, saying, “Unfortunately, before coming here we knew we had some weaknesses in our package and in our car; we knew in certain corners it was not going to be particularly good. We could prove that today; So it shows we are a lot more vulnerable in this sort of track.”

The engine swap makes Sainz the fourth driver on the grid to reach the limit halfway through the season. If he requires another PU change later this season, it will cause a grid penalty for the driver.

Sunny days in Hungary for Ferrari?

Along with the other drivers, Sainz is looking up to the Hungarian skies, hoping for a little rain. The scorching heat is increasing the track temperatures, which makes it difficult to get a grip. “As with an even hotter track temperature, we went a bit backward. Something there to analyze. Something there to look into.”

Why did Ferrari Sign Carlos Sainz?

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While Sainz was confident on the track, he sat in a comfortable fourth place on the timesheets after the first practice session. However, the second time around felt ‘strange.’

Ferrari aim to out-perform McLaren and return from the break sitting third on the board. But will the PU change fix their problems?

The Prancing Horses have the third practice session to test the waters and hope for a better performance from the car. The team are giving their rivals a tough time on the track. Hopefully, the race in Hungary will have the same tussle as we saw in Silverstone.

As the temperatures rise in Hungaroring, the challenge increases. Will Ferrari beat the heat? More importantly, will Sainz make his way to the frontline with his new power unit?

Watch this story: Ferrari Strategy Fails We Will Never Forget