Hamilton leads Ferrari one-two in Hungarian Grand Prix practice
Lewis Hamilton secured the top position in Friday’s running for the Hungarian Grand Prix, outpacing his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris during Free Practice 2. The session saw several teams working to fine-tune upgrades, with Aston Martin facing challenges after Lance Stroll experienced a suspension issue that cut short his FP1.
The Silverstone-based Aston Martin team arrived in Hungary with significant updates, including what has been described as a B-spec car, aiming to improve their standing in the midfield. McLaren also introduced a substantial new package, while Red Bull brought back their rotating rear wing. The FP2 session, which began at 17:00 local time, was crucial for teams to gather data.
Early in FP2, Cadillac and Alpine were among the first to take to the track in breezy conditions. Several drivers, including Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto, Ollie Bearman, and Valtteri Bottas, made their first appearances after rookie counterparts participated in FP1. However, Lance Stroll did not participate in FP2 as his team did not have sufficient time to repair the damage from his earlier incident, leaving Fernando Alonso as the sole representative for Aston Martin.
As Alonso continued to collect valuable data on their heavily revised car, Leclerc initially set a benchmark time of 1 minute 20.103 seconds on medium tyres. Hamilton then improved upon this by four-tenths of a second. The Ferrari duo demonstrated strong performance from the outset, though other drivers reported issues. Pierre Gasly noted that “Something feels wrong on the car, it’s extremely bad. It just feels broken in Turn 12. Something with the front is wrong.”
The increasing wind conditions made balance around the circuit a significant challenge for many. George Russell described his Mercedes as feeling “dreadful” and “so out of balance,” while his teammate also expressed concerns about his car’s behavior, reporting that he “almost spun twice on braking.” Despite these difficulties, Hamilton improved his time, maintaining his hold on the top spot. Leclerc, in the second Ferrari, experienced three lock-ups within the first 20 minutes before returning to the pits.
The session later moved to soft tyre runs, where Norris recorded the fastest lap of the session in his upgraded McLaren, with a time of 1 minute 19.228 seconds. Shortly after, a red flag interrupted the session when Colapinto crashed, forcing Antonelli to abort his flying lap. Colapinto lost the rear of his car at the final corner and spun backwards into the barrier, necessitating an overnight repair job for Alpine.
After the recovery of Colapinto’s car, qualifying simulation laps resumed. Ferrari continued to show strong pace at the Hungaroring, with Leclerc briefly reclaiming the top spot with a time of 1 minute 18.877 seconds. Hamilton then slotted in just 0.037 seconds behind. The Briton further reduced his time, establishing an advantage of more than a tenth over his teammate. His final effort of 1 minute 18.729 seconds remained the best of the day, placing him ahead of Leclerc and Norris at the end of FP2.
Max Verstappen finished fourth for Red Bull after encountering debris from Alonso’s Aston Martin. He reported a “super stiff” rear axle and a lack of rear grip during his medium-tyre long run. Verstappen was followed by Russell, Isack Hadjar, and Liam Lawson. Piastri secured seventh place, with Nico Hulkenberg and Arvid Lindblad completing the top 10.
Just outside the top 10 were Gabriel Bortoleto for Audi, followed by Esteban Ocon, and an out-of-position Antonelli. Gasly, Bearman, and the Williams duo of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz also featured in the standings. Finishing the order were Bottas, Alonso, Sergio Perez, and Colapinto in his damaged Alpine. Stroll remained in the garage for the entire session due to the earlier damage.
Adrian Newey, Aston Martin team principal, described the provisional results for their new car as “promising” despite Alonso’s 19th place finish. He noted that the new car is only part of their planned upgrade, with further steps anticipated in Zandvoort, Monza, and Baku. The team is being cautious with the new parts due to limited spares. Honda, their engine partner, is set to introduce a new engine at the Dutch Grand Prix after the summer break.
The day presented a mixed outcome for Aston Martin. While Alonso tested the new car, Stroll’s early exit from FP1 due to a rear suspension failure meant he could not participate in FP2. Team representative Pedro de la Rosa confirmed it was a suspension failure and stated that due to a lack of spares, they could not repair Stroll’s car in time for the second practice session.
Antonelli, who finished 13th, did not complete a qualifying simulation lap in the second session. His first attempt was abandoned due to Colapinto’s crash, and his second was cut short by an error at the chicane. He reported issues with rear brake locking throughout the session, though he was on par with Norris’s time in the first sector on both of his curtailed laps.
Alonso, who finished 19th, was almost three-tenths slower than Valtteri Bottas in 18th. Alonso also reported vibrations from the Honda power unit, and his car was notably covered in green flow-vis paint late in the afternoon, indicating extensive aerodynamic testing. The Ferrari team’s strong performance suggests they are currently the team to beat at the Hungaroring.
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Source: formula1.com
