McLaren once again dominates FP1 in Hungary. Norris and Piastri manage to take first and second place in the timesheets. The only driver who came close to their times was Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque, however, proved faster in the mini race pace simulation. Compared to the latter, Hamilton's times weren't bad. Ferrari, therefore, confirms its position as the second-place leader. Verstappen is further behind, and Mercedes is still struggling.
FP1 begins in Hungary under the shadow of important confirmations
The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend kicks off at 13:30 PM Italian time. The weekend features two key confirmations: Fred Vasseur has signed a multi-year contract as team principal of Ferrari. Verstappen has declared that he will race again for Red Bull in 2026. The fortieth edition of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the first in a former Soviet bloc country, was inaugurated by the entry onto the track of Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari. At the back of the grid, however, Hulkenberg and Alonso left their respective seats to Paul Aron and Felipe Drugovich. The Spanish two-time world champion is unavailable due to back problems.
After ten minutes, George Russell leads the standings, thanks to a performance on medium tyres. Good start for the two Williams, With Sainz and Albon finishing second and third, but using hard tires. The Mercedes driver's lead, however, was short-lived, as he was overtaken first by the two McLarens and then by Oscar Piastri in his McLaren. Immediately problems, however, for Pierre Gasly's Alpine. The French driver complains of a sudden lack of power and is forced to return to the pits by his mechanics.
The Hungaroring demands strong cars in mixed conditions. This is why all the teams are experimenting. a maximum load setup, which is more or less what usually happens in Monte Carlo. Indeed, the differences between the Hungarian and the Principality's track are a longer main straight and the absence of walls close to the track. Otherwise, there are very few overtaking opportunities and a lot of downforce needed to cope with the shapes of the two layouts. Among the setups, however, there is one small exception: Max Verstappen is running with a slightly lighter car, with a high configuration instead of maximum load.
With half an hour to go, Norris leads the way
Lewis Hamilton's team radio was a bit worrying. Looking at Lando Norris's times, he asked Riccardo Adami where the gap between the two times was, and the Italian engineer pointed him to Turns 8 and 9, both in the second sector. Finally, returning to the pits, the seven-time world champion said he couldn't hear the car well. Leclerc, however, still on yellow tyres, manages to hold on to second position for the moment, but half a second behind Norris' McLaren. Verstappen is also unhappy, with his mechanics working on adjusting the ride height and stiffness with half an hour to go.
Meanwhile Pierre Gasly seems to have solved his problemsThe Frenchman returned to the track and is in 16th position, just ahead of his teammate. He is not so lucky, however, Paul Aron. The number 97 driver encountered technical problems on his Sauber, which forced him to park the car in the run-off area at Turn 13. No red flag, just a brief virtual safety car that ended after a few minutes. The two Ferrari drivers returned to the track shortly after Aron's brief stoppage, this time on soft tires. Leclerc took the lead while Hamilton was fourth, ahead of Norris, still on yellow tires, and Albon, who set a good time on soft tires.
Final minutes of FP1 in Hungary: brief race pace tests
Lando Norris didn't just sit back and watch, setting a fastest lap on red tyres with twenty-three minutes to go, taking first place in the standings. The Englishman was seven tenths ahead of Leclerc. Kimi Antonelli is starting to close in on the leaders, spending three quarters of the session outside the top ten but managing to finish eighth thanks to a decent lap on red tyres. Oscar Piastri also took to the track with the soft tyres, but his time was still lower than that of his teammate, almost a tenth and a half behind. Leclerc, however, is a little closer to the lead, posting a time just two tenths off.
With just over ten minutes to go the Monegasque returns to the track for a mini long run on medium tyres. He's not alone. Joining him are the two Williams cars on hard tires. A few minutes later, Max Verstappen is also trying out the same program, using yellow rubber. The Dutchman starts with a fairly cautious introduction of the tire, with a performance almost a second behind Leclerc's first lap, with the latter lapping between 1:20.900 and 1:21. Norris, also back on track, is also doing the same time, while Hamilton is matching Verstappen's times. The two Ferraris are probably trying two different approaches to the long run: one harder and the other softer.
In fact, as the laps go by, the Englishman number 44 is dropping towards the top times of his teammate. The McLarens, coincidentally together with Leclerc, are starting to raise their times towards 1:21.900. Slightly lower, however, are the times of Leclerc, who is proving to be faster than the English team. In fact, what other drivers are also doing is having many ups and downs: after a very slow lap, a series of faster and more linear laps follow. Leclerc is the only one who is more consistent at the moment. Hamilton, however, managed to match his teammate's times at the end of the session.
The red car thus confirms its position as the second force on the track. However, Mercedes is still having difficulties. Antonelli and Russell are seventh and eighth respectively, with the Englishman complaining on the radio that his car can't turn as it should. Lando Norris takes the FP1 in Hungary, thanks to a good 1:16.052, ahead of Piastri and Leclerc.
