Ferrari served notice on Friday at the Hungaroring, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton trading the top spot across the two practice sessions and looking like the pair to beat heading into qualifying.
Hamilton holds the record for most wins, poles and even the fastest lap at the Hungarian GP, so a performance like that was actually expected.
FP1: Leclerc quickest despite late Ferrari drama
Charles Leclerc set the pace in FP1, but his session didn't end the way he'd have liked. With just over five minutes left on the clock, his Ferrari ground to a halt in the pit lane, something having gone wrong with the SF-26 out of Turn 13. Mechanics had to push the car away, but the time he'd already banked was good enough to keep him at the top of the timesheets.
Max Verstappen was the closest challenger, ending up half a second back in the Red Bull. Hamilton completed the top three for Ferrari, giving the Scuderia a strong opening look at a track that traditionally rewards downforce and rear-end stability, both once Ferrari strengths.
The session was interrupted by a red flag after Lance Stroll's Aston Martin spun violently out of Turn 2, with a suspected rear-left suspension failure the cause. Stroll walked away unhurt, but the red flag ate into track time for the rest of the field, and Aston Martin's upgraded AMR26 didn't get the clean run they'd hoped for.
Elsewhere, Isack Hadjar was the best of the rest in fourth for Red Bull, ahead of George Russell, who led Mercedes' effort in fifth. Gabriel Bortoleto continued Audi's encouraging recent form in sixth, while Frederik Vesti, standing in for Kimi Antonelli, impressed in seventh on his outing. Nico Hulkenberg, Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson rounded out the top ten.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:19.075 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +0.484 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.543 |
| 4 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | +0.922 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.991 |
| 6 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.285 |
| 7 | Frederik Vesti | Mercedes | +1.392 |
| 8 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.548 |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1.685 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.791 |
| 11 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +1.949 |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | +1.976 |
| 13 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +2.475 |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +2.629 |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +2.744 |
| 16 | Leonardo Fornaroli | McLaren | +2.815 |
| 17 | Ryo Hirakawa | Haas F1 Team | +2.926 |
| 18 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +3.014 |
| 19 | Paul Aron | Alpine | +3.093 |
| 20 | Colton Herta | Cadillac | +4.043 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +4.396 |
| 22 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +4.659 |
FP2: Hamilton hits back, Ferrari lock out the top two
Hamilton turned the tables in the afternoon session, going quickest with a 1:18.729 to beat Leclerc by 0.148 seconds and give Ferrari a one-two on raw pace. Lando Norris was the best of the rest in third for McLaren, with Verstappen fourth and Russell fifth.
Kimi Antonelli, back in the Mercedes after sitting out FP1 for Vesti, could only manage 13th, his best lap coming on the medium tyre. Franco Colapinto's session ended early when he lost control and crashed at the final corner in the Alpine. Stroll, still dealing with the fallout from his FP1 suspension failure, didn't set a time at all in FP2.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:18.729 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.148 |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.499 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +0.692 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.933 |
| 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | +1.071 |
| 7 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.312 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +1.372 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.396 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1.524 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.745 |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | +1.828 |
| 13 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1.964 |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +2.087 |
| 15 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | +2.221 |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +2.244 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +2.697 |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +2.713 |
| 19 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +2.990 |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +3.063 |
| 21 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +3.802 |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | No time |
It's worth noting practice running is only ever a partial guide to true pace, with fuel loads, engine modes and track conditions all varying between teams. Still, Ferrari topping both sessions, with Hamilton and Leclerc swapping places at the front, gives an early sense of who's arrived in Hungary in the best shape. Aston Martin, meanwhile, will want answers on the Stroll suspension issue before it costs them further track time.
Qualifying and the race follow over the rest of the weekend.
