The red cars indeed have favorite status on the Hungaroring circuit: Lewis Hamilton took over from Charles Leclerc at the top of the timesheet, relegating Lando Norris to half a second.
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Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in the second free practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix, confirming Ferrari’s excellent form at the Hungaroring.
The seven-time world champion, circuit record holder with eight victories and nine pole positions, finished 0.148 seconds ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc, while the Scuderia seemed to be in a league of its own during Friday’s practice sessions.
Hamilton, however, benefited from a strategic advantage by completing an additional flying lap on soft tires compared to Leclerc, who set the fastest time in the first session.
McLaren and Red Bull in ambush
The first challenger to the Ferraris is Lando Norris, whose McLaren, equipped with a significant upgrade package, is nevertheless almost half a second behind Hamilton.
Max Verstappen set the fourth fastest time, about two tenths behind Norris, while George Russell completes the top 5. The Mercedes driver, however, finished almost a second off the pace, illustrating the difficulties encountered by the Silver Arrows on this first day.
Isack Hadjar continues his excellent weekend with a strong sixth place at the wheel of the second Red Bull. The Frenchman is ahead of Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls and Oscar Piastri’s other McLaren, who was clearly less comfortable than his teammate Norris. The top 10 is completed by Nico Hülkenberg, for Audi, and Arvid Lindblad, who once again confirms his speed at Racing Bulls.
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Antonelli in difficulty
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli could only manage the 13th fastest time. The young Italian saw several of his attempts on soft tires compromised and complained about a lack of stability at the rear of his Mercedes W17.
His Friday had already started badly as he had not participated in FP1, his car having been entrusted to reserve driver Fred Vesti as part of the mandatory sessions reserved for rookies. The Mercedes driver therefore found himself behind schedule in his work program.
The session was interrupted by a red flag after an accident involving Franco Colapinto. The Alpine driver lost the rear of his car in the last corner before ending his race in the tire barriers, seriously damaging his A526.
Aston Martin already facing problems
The wind and low grip levels complicated the work of many drivers throughout the session. At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso only managed the 19th fastest time, almost three seconds behind Hamilton, at the wheel of the new AMR26 B-Spec.
The British team quickly found itself with only one car on track after Lance Stroll’s mechanical failure, suspected to be a broken rear suspension, which prevented him from participating in FP2.
This problem overshadowed the highly anticipated debut of the extensive upgrade package designed under the direction of Adrian Newey, presented for the first time on track this Friday at the Hungaroring.
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F1 2026 Hungarian GP FP2 Classification:
