Vettel hopes F1 tyres “melt” to avoid 'boring' Hungarian GP

Sebastian Vettel says he hopes Formula 1’s 2019 Pirelli tyres “suffer” and “melt” to spice up what he feels could otherwise be an uneventful Hungarian Grand Prix.

Tyre degradation amid hot temperatures often proves to be a concern for drivers at the Hungaroring, but so far this weekend the tyres have appeared to hold up well, with Pirelli predicting that the optimal race strategy should be a one-stopper.

Vettel was outqualified by Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc during Saturday’s qualifying session and will line-up fifth on the grid, having ended up half a second down on polesitter Max Verstappen.

“Hopefully the tyres will all melt and we end up with more stops than one, otherwise it will be difficult,” Vettel said.

“It could be boring, but we’ll see. Obviously we start with the Mediums but I hope it is very hot and the tyres will suffer. At least that way we can try and do something.

“It should be quite straightforward, but we’ll see what it brings. I think we are looking forward to the start, and we’ll see how the race settles.

“I hope it’s very tough on tyres, I hope it will be super-hot and very, very difficult in the race,” he added.

“That way at least we can put some pressure and maybe do something different. If it’s straightforward and the tyres last and it’s one-stop, then a bit less exciting.

“Overtaking is possible here, but we need to be faster. We’ll see what happens.”

Overtaking has traditionally been notoriously difficult at the twisty Budapest venue, and Vettel hopes he can make the most of Ferrari’s quick-starts to throw himself into the mix on the run to Turn 1.

“I’m on the third row, so I need to make up some metres,” he explained.

“Our starts are good, most of the time. So we’ll see. Come the race it’s a new day, so I think we more or less got the maximum.

“I’m not entirely happy, I had a bit maybe in hand, but not enough to really tackle for the top three.”