Lewis Hamilton Leads Ferrari One-Two as Scuderia Dominates Friday at the Hungarian Grand Prix

Image: from PitWall Pixels X @PitWallPixels

By Open Chronicle

Ferrari completed a commanding Friday at the Hungarian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton topped the second free practice session ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc, reinforcing the Scuderia’s status as the early favourite at the Hungaroring.

Hamilton produced a session best of 1:18.729, finishing 0.148 seconds clear of Leclerc to secure a Ferrari one-two after the Monegasque had led the opening practice session earlier in the day.

The impressive performance marks another strong weekend for Ferrari following its recent resurgence, suggesting the Italian team could be in contention for pole position and victory in Budapest.

Ferrari Sets the Benchmark

Hamilton looked comfortable from the opening laps, quickly moving to the top of the timesheets with the medium compound tyres before improving further during the qualifying simulations on soft tyres.

Although Leclerc briefly reclaimed first place late in the session with a lap of 1:18.877, Hamilton immediately responded to restore Ferrari to the top of the order.

The two Ferrari drivers were the only competitors to break into the 1 minute 18 second bracket, underlining the pace advantage the SF26 appears to enjoy around the tight and technical Hungarian circuit.

The result capped an almost perfect opening day for Ferrari after Leclerc had led Free Practice 1 earlier on Friday.

McLaren and Red Bull Remain Close

Lando Norris finished third for McLaren, just under half a second behind Hamilton, while Max Verstappen placed fourth for Red Bull.

Norris briefly led the session after switching to the soft tyres, but Ferrari’s final qualifying runs ultimately proved too strong.

Verstappen remained competitive despite repeatedly reporting over team radio that he did not feel comfortable with the balance of his RB22.

George Russell completed the top five for Mercedes, continuing a consistent Friday despite the team’s ongoing search for greater outright pace.

Aston Martin’s Difficult Day Continues

Aston Martin endured another challenging session following Lance Stroll’s suspension failure during Free Practice 1.

The Canadian’s AMR26 remained dismantled in the garage as mechanics continued repairs, preventing him from taking any part in the afternoon session.

Fernando Alonso completed the practice programme but could manage only nineteenth place, suggesting the team’s extensive upgrade package introduced this weekend has yet to deliver the expected performance gains.

Colapinto Brings Out the Red Flag

The session’s only major interruption came just over halfway through the hour when Franco Colapinto crashed at Turn 14.

The Alpine driver lost the rear of his car through the final sector before spinning into the barriers, bringing out a red flag while marshals recovered the damaged machine.

Fortunately, Colapinto climbed out unharmed, allowing the session to resume after a short delay.

Mercedes Continues to Search for Balance

Mercedes experienced another mixed practice session.

Kimi Antonelli reported that he had nearly spun twice during the opening phase, complaining that the rear of the car was repeatedly locking under braking.

The team instructed the championship leader to return to the garage for setup changes before he eventually finished thirteenth.

Russell, meanwhile, continued to extract competitive pace from the W17, ending the session fifth and maintaining Mercedes’ position among the leading contenders.

Audi Shows Encouraging Consistency

Audi once again demonstrated encouraging midfield pace.

Nico Hülkenberg secured ninth place, while Gabriel Bortoleto continued his impressive rookie campaign by finishing eleventh, narrowly missing out on a place inside the top ten.

The Brazilian had already impressed earlier in the day by finishing sixth during Free Practice 1, highlighting another productive Friday for the German manufacturer.

Alpine Faces More Questions

It was another frustrating session for Alpine.

Pierre Gasly complained over team radio early in the session that “nothing was working” on the car, describing its handling as even worse than during the morning practice.

The situation worsened after Colapinto’s accident, adding further pressure to the only team that arrived in Hungary without introducing any technical upgrades.

Hungarian Grand Prix FP2 Results

With Ferrari leading both practice sessions, Saturday’s third practice and qualifying promise to reveal whether the Scuderia can convert its impressive one-lap pace into pole position, while rivals McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes continue searching for the performance needed to challenge the Maranello outfit.