George Russell acknowledged that Mercedes' anxieties about Ferrari’s potential speed advantage at the Hungarian Grand Prix were justified after a Friday practice session that was clearly dominated by their title‑challenging rivals. Up to this point in the season Mercedes have been the benchmark in the drivers' championship, having secured eight victories out of ten races.
However, the unique characteristics of the Hungaroring – a tight, twisty circuit that rewards high‑downforce and cornering prowess – had sparked speculation that Ferrari, the team that had already claimed the other two Grand Prix wins of the year, might be the team to beat in Budapest. Ferrari’s car is particularly strong in the medium‑speed corners that define the circuit, and many pundits suggested they could leverage that advantage to out‑qualify the Silver Arrows. Those pre‑race predictions proved to be more than just talk on Friday. Ferrari comfortably topped both practice sessions, even achieving a one‑two finish in the more representative second hour of running, with Lewis Hamilton surprisingly finishing second to Charles Leclerc.
By contrast, Mercedes struggled to find rhythm. Their best effort in the second practice session placed them only fifth on the grid, while their slowest time was a disappointing 13th place – a full 0.9 seconds off the pace of the leading Ferrari. The gap highlighted balance issues and a lack of single‑lap speed that the team has been trying to resolve throughout the weekend. Lando Norris, driving a heavily upgraded McLaren, managed to claim third, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was fourth.
"It was quite a strange day out there, I think, for everybody," Russell said, describing the unusual conditions. "Budapest is an amazing track to drive, but they resurfaced half the circuit. It’s super bumpy and a lot of it is breaking up around the last couple of corners, which makes it quite odd to drive on." He went on to explain the impact on performance: "Our single‑lap pace didn’t look great. The long‑run looked more competitive, but what we feared with Ferrari seemed to be the case.
They look very, very strong." Ferrari’s lead driver, Antonelli, who sat out the first practice session to meet rookie‑driver running requirements with Frederik Vesti, ended up 13th after his soft‑tyre runs were disrupted by a red‑flag caused by Franco Colapinto’s crash and a series of driver errors, including a significant lock‑up at Turn Two. Russell added a candid assessment of the team’s situation: "We’ve got work to do as a team. Ferrari are a good step ahead of everyone right now.
I think for both Kimi and me the car was far from great, to be honest, and we think there is room to improve. It was really windy today and I think the wind direction is going to be shifting, so that could change a lot." Ferrari’s recent success has been somewhat fortuitous; their two victories this season have both come in the last four races, and Hungary marked only the second occasion this year that they had been the outright fastest on a conventional Friday session. Leclerc topped the opening practice by a sizable 0.4 seconds and then finished just 0.148 seconds behind Hamilton in the second session. He praised the car’s performance: "It was a relatively strong day.
From the beginning I felt quite good with the car and the performance seemed to be good straight away. That’s a good thing but the weekend is still long, and from Friday to Saturday we see teams making a jump in performance." Leclerc continued, noting the typical Friday disadvantage for Ferrari: "Normally we are on the back foot on Friday, so it’s a good thing we have a good Friday, but we still need to stay on it and work hard in order to get better.
It’s going to be tight in qualifying as always. I don’t expect us to have the gap that we had today, so we’ll have to do everything perfectly. But if the feeling is there I’m sure we’ll do a good job in Q3." Lewis Hamilton, speaking after the practice sessions, echoed a similar sentiment about the challenging conditions: "It was a solid day overall.
The conditions were quite challenging, with the wind making things a bit tricky and the track feeling quite bumpy in some places. The car felt better in FP2 and we made some good progress between the sessions, although there are still a few areas we need to improve.
We’ll go through all the data overnight, keep working on the balance and hopefully find a bit more performance." Team principal Frederic Vasseur, while pleased with the early showing, warned against complacency: "So far, so good, but it’s not on Friday we are doing the pole, even less that you win the race. It’s good to start the weekend like this but let’s see tomorrow, it will be another story.
I think Norris didn’t finish the lap… we will see tomorrow." Ferrari’s speed also attracted comments from rival teams. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who posted the sixth‑quickest time, said: "I knew they were going to be quick on a track like that. At the moment we are waiting for Mercedes to wake up. Like always I think it’s going to be very close with the McLarens.
That’s where we are at the moment." McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who was eighth fastest in a car that did not carry the significant upgrade on Friday, added: "The Ferraris have looked very quick in both sessions. But I think Lando looked competitive in that second one especially. The Mercedes is very hard to read.
So let’s see tomorrow. If we execute a good day then it looks like there could be a lot up for grabs." The weekend schedule is packed, with F3 and F2 support races leading into the main event.
On Saturday, the Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session will determine the grid, followed by the race on Sunday at 2 p.m. local time.
All sessions are broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW without a long‑term contract. In summary, the practice sessions have confirmed that Ferrari have translated their recent form into tangible speed at Budapest, while Mercedes must address balance and single‑lap deficiencies if they hope to protect their championship lead. The evolving wind conditions, a resurfaced yet bumpy track, and the ever‑present potential for red‑flags add further variables that will shape the qualifying and race outcomes.
Fans can expect a tightly contested qualifying and a race where strategic decisions, tyre management, and the ability to adapt to the changing grip levels will be crucial for any team hoping to stand on the top step of the podium.