Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Alfa Romeo looks like they could deliver a shocker after a strong practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix
If Friday’s second practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix is any indication, Alfa Romeo could be the team that surprises the Formula 1 grid this weekend.
After the majority of the first practice session was lost due to a combination of red flags and heavy rains, the teams took to the track for the second practice session in much better conditions. While teams ran a variety of different practice programs, the times from Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu certainly stood out. Bottas finished in P7 in the second practice session, with his teammate Zhou just behind in P9.
While at first blush that does not seem overly impressive, there is a critical reason why that might matter this weekend, and matter in a big way.
Both Bottas and Zhou posted those times on the medium compound. Everyone that finished ahead of them was using soft tyres.
Better still, some of the teams and drivers they are competing against fared much worse when using the medium compound. Alex Albon of Williams finished P13 on the mediums, and Lewis Hamilton posted a time good for 16th on that compound. Oscar Piastri and George Russell finished in P19 and P20, respectively, on the medium compound.
Here is why that could be critical this weekend. F1 is testing a new qualifying format at the Hungarian Grand Prix, requiring a specific tyre compound for each of the three qualifying sessions.
In Q1, teams must use the hard compound. In Q2 teams are required to use the mediums, and only in Q3 can they use the soft compound.
Given how strong the Alfa Romeo duo looked on the mediums — both when compared to the teams using softs, as well as those who bolted on the mediums — this could be a great sign for the team heading into Saturday.
Of course, it remains to be seen how they fare on the hard compound. But if both Bottas and ZHou advance to Q2, they might be in great shape. And at a track like the Hungaroring, where overtaking is at a premium, the closer you are to the front at the start, the better your odds at finishing up there when all is said and done.
